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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE 
IN  EXILE 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE 
IN  EXILE 


BY 

AGNES  CAREY 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 
FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1920 


Copyright,  1920,  by 
The  Centuby  Co. 


Colle.'-ye 
Library 

.DC. 
£80.1 

C\2 


TO 
MY  CHILDREN 


11fii frw 


PREFACE 

During  the  ten  months  in  1886  that  it  was  my 
good  fortune  to  spend  at  Farnborough  in  the 
household  of  the  Empress  Eugenie  (good  for- 
tune which  I  owe  to  an  old  family  friend,  who 
was  intimate  with  the  Empress),  I  kept  up  my 
life-long  habit,  when  absent  from  home,  of  daily 
correspondence  with  my  family.  Hence  these 
pages,  culled  from  letters  and  diaries. 

However  disconnected  and  fragmentary  the 
following  account  of  the  Empress  may  be,  it  has 
one  merit, — truth  to  fact.  Anecdotes  and  an  ac- 
count of  events  were  hastily  scribbled  at  the  close 
of  each  busy  day.  Realizing  the  value  of  spon- 
taneity, I  have  purposely  kept  as  much  as  pos- 
sible to  the  wording  of  these  notes, — written  while 
the  actual  words  the  Empress  spoke,  and  her  im- 
pressive face  and  gestures,  were  fresh  in  my 
mind.  Other  incidents,  since  learned,  might 
have  inspired  better  stories,  but  would  not  be  the 
words  that  came  from  her  own  lips.     So  I  have 

vii 


PREFACE 

preferred  to  give  only  what  I  positively  know  she 
said,  merely  adding  a  few  words  here  and  there 
for  the  sake  of  clarity. 

Richard  Watson  Gilder  was  anxious  to  have 
me  publish  parts  of  this  book  many  years  ago, 
but  during  the  life  of  the  Empress  I  felt  it  would 
be  an  unpardonable  breach  of  confidence,  so  I  re- 
fused. Now  that  the  end  of  her  ninety-four 
eventful  years  has  come,  the  "Empress  in  Exile" 
belongs  to  history. 

Agnes  Cabey. 


vm 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Paet      I    Farnborough    Hill,    an    Empress's 

Home 3 

Part    II     Daily  Events:     Further  Extracts 

from  Diary  and  Letters  ...      65 

Part  III     The  Empress  Visits  Queen  Victoria  183 

Part   IV     Later  Events  at  Farnborough  Hill  229 

Part  V  Reminiscences  of  Empress  Eugenie: 
Her  Characteristics  and  Idiosyn- 
cracies    ........   328 


IX 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Empress  Eugenie Frontispiece 

l-ACINQ 
PAGE 

"This  telegram  was  the  prelude  to  some  of  the  most 

pleasant  and  interesting  months  of  my  life"  .  4r 
The  Empress  Eugenie  and  her  ladies  .  .  .  .  13 
A  typical  menu  at  Farnborough  Hill  ....      17 

Farnborough  Hill,  Hampshire 32 

The  Prince  Imperial 49 

Monsignor  Goddard 64 

Franceschini  Pietri 64 

The  Memorial  Church,  Farnborough  Hill  ...      69 

Due  de  Bassano 76 

Dr.  Thomas  W.  Evans 76 

Camden  House,  Chislehurst 80 

The  Empress  Eugenie  and  Napoleon  III,  with  the 

Prince  Imperial 88 

The  Prince  Imperial  at  the  age  of  six  ....  97 
The  Prince  Imperial  at  the  age  of  twelve  ...  97 
Prince  and  Princess  Henry  (Princess  Beatrice)  of 

Battenberg 112 

Catholic  Church  at  Chislehurst 129 

Interior  of  Catholic  Church  at  Chislehurst  .  .  129 
The  Empress  Eugenie  (From  a  Sevres  Miniature)  145 
The  Empress  Eugenie  about  1860       ....    160 

xi 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FAOINQ 
PACK 


Tomb  of  Emperor  Napoleon  III  at  Chislehurst, 

afterward  removed  to  Farnborough  Hill  .      .    164 
Tomb  of  the  Prince  Imperial  at  Farnborough  Hill  164 
The  garden  front  at  Farnborough  Hill — Maria, 
M.  Chevreau,  Antonia,  the  author,  Captain 

Bizot 173 

Prince  Jerome  Bonaparte 181 

Prince  Lucien  Bonaparte 181 

Osborne  Cottage,  East  Cowes,  Isle  of  Wight  .  .  188 
R.  Y.  S.  Club-house,  West  Cowes,  Isle  of  Wight  .  193 
Osborne  House,  the  Isle  of  Wight  home  of  Queen 

Victoria 193 

Mile.  Antonia  de  Vejerano 208 

Mile.  Maria  de  Vejerano 208 

Surgeon-Major  Frederick  B.  Scott     ....   225 
The  Emperor  and  Empress  in  1865      ....   240 
The  Duchess  of  Alva  and  her  children  ....   257 
Marshal  MacMahon,  President  of  the  French  Re- 
public, 1873-1879 257 

Memorial  to  the  Prince  Imperial  on  Chislehurst 

Common 272 

The  Empress,  about  1870 289 

Princess  Clotilde 304 

Prince  Napoleon 304 

Interior  of  Memorial  Church  (Farnborough)  .  .  321 
The  Empress  and  the  Prince  Imperial     .      .      .    336 

The  Emperor  Napoleon  III 357 

The  Empress  Eugenie  about  1880      ....   364 

xii 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE 
IN  EXILE 

PART  I 

FARNBOROUGH   HILL,  AN  EMPRESS'S  HOME 

"Meet  the  Empress  at  Wilton  Crescent  tomor- 
row Wednesday  at  four.  Arcos." 

This  telegram  from  Mme.  de  Arcos,  an  old 
friend  of  my  aunt's,  was  the  prelude  to  some  of 
the  most  pleasant  and  interesting  months  of  my 
life.  Needless  to  say  the  message  was  speedily 
obeyed,  and  a  few  hours  after  its  receipt,  I  was 
already  whirling  away  in  an  express  train  toward 
London.  It  was  the  following  afternoon,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1886,  that  I  started  for  Mme.  de 
Arcos's  house  in  Belgravia,  where  after  waiting 
a  few  moments  in  the  drawing-room  with  Mrs. 
Edmund  Vaughan  I  was  taken  upstairs  by  her 
and  her  sister  to  see  the  Empress,  who  had  come 
to  London  expressly  for  this  interview. 

3 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Mme.  de  Arcos  had  already  told  me  that  I 
should  find  Her  Imperial  Majesty  most  gracious 
and  I  need  not  be  in  the  least  intimidated  by  her, 
but  in  spite  of  this  reassuring  assertion,  my  heart 
beats  quickened  a  little,  just  as  I  entered  her 
presence  and  made  my  first  low  court  courtesy. 
The  Empress  half  rose  from  her  seat,  at  the  same 
time  motioning  me  to  a  chair,  and  in  the  conversa- 
tion which  ensued  praised  my  French  unstint- 
ingly,  put  me  so  completely  at  my  ease,  and  in- 
terested me  so  much  as  she  sat  there  in  her  wid- 
ow's weeds,  in  the  dim  light  of  a  foggy  winter's 
afternoon, — once  the  most  beautiful  woman  of 
Europe, — that  I  quite  forgot  to  lose  my  self-pos- 
session. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  I  had  made  another 
deep  courtesy  and  had  taken  leave  of  the  Em- 
press under  Mme.  de  Arcos's  wing,  was  compli- 
mented by  her  downstairs  on  my  tenue,  and  had  a 
few  friendly  hints  given  me  on  court  ways  and 
the  little  difficulties  I  should  be  ready  to  encoun- 
ter. Shortly  after  five  o'clock  I  was  back  again 
with  my  family,  and  able  to  give  them  the  good 
news, — that  the  Empress  had  received  me  most 
kindly,  that  all  was  satisfactorily  settled,  and  the 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

details  of  my  future  life  at  Farnborough  ar- 
ranged; even  to  the  hour  of  the  train  which  was 
to  carry  me  thither  on  the  fifteenth. 

From  my  diary: 

It  was  quite  dark  when  I  reached  Farnborough 
station  about  6  p.  m.  on  the  appointed  day,  and  I 
was  glad  to  find  a  carriage  waiting  for  me.  On 
the  platform  stood  a  smart  but  most  good-na- 
tured French  footman,  with  a  cockade  on  his  hat 
and,  five  minutes  later,  I  had  driven  through  the 
lodge  gates  and  had  arrived  at  Farnborough  Hill, 
where,  through  many  circuitous  passages,  I  was 
passed  along  by  various  pleasant  men-servants, 
and  finally  shown  up  to  my  room. 

While  I  was  waiting  there,  not  knowing  what  to 
do  next,  there  was  a  knock  at  my  door  and  a  maid 
came  to  offer  her  services,  which  I  declined. 
Then  Mme.  Le  Breton  walked  in,  accompanied 
by  the  Empress's  two  Spanish  nieces,  Maria  and 
Antonia  de  Vejarano,  whom  she  introduced  as 
well  as  herself,  and  welcomed  me  most  warmly  to 
my  new  home,  while  apologizing  for  not  having 
been  at  the  entrance  when  I  arrived.  The  coach- 
man had  brought  me  to  a  side  entrance  instead  of 
the  principal  one,  where  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  the 
girls  had  long  been  vainly  waiting  for  the  carriage 
to  drive  up.     At  last  they  discovered  the  error, 

5 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

found  that  I  was  already  in  the  house,  and  came 
up  to  me  at  once.  Mme.  Le  Breton  then  rang 
for  some  tea,  which  was  brought  up  on  a  dainty 
little  silver  tray.  We  talked  a  good  deal  about 
Chislehurst,  and  Mme.  Le  Breton  was  very  much 
astonished  when  I  told  her  that  I  knew  her  and 
the  other  inmates  of  the  imperial  household  per- 
fectly by  sight,  having  constantly  seen  them  all 
there  on  Sundays  in  the  little  Church  of  St. 
Mary's  during  1879  and  1880.  The  nieces  were 
rather  shy  and  quiet,  but  very  courteous  and  af- 
fectionate, and  they  appeared  to  my  English  eyes 
absolutely  grown  up,  though  only  about  sixteen 
and  eighteen  years  old. 

At  seven-thirty  my  visitors  all  three  left  me 
to  unpack  the  necessaries  'and  dress  hastily  for 
dinner,  M.  and  A.  promising  to  return  and  fetch 
me,  which  they  did  at  a  few  minutes  to  eight. 
They  led  me  first  through  intricate  passages,  and 
then  down  a  handsomely  carved  staircase  into  a 
splendid  gallery,  beautifully  furnished,  and  filled 
with  objets  &'  art  and  jardinieres  of  sweet-smell- 
ing flowers.  Mme.  Le  Breton,  carefully  gantee, 
was  already  waiting  there  with  M.  le  Due  de  Bas- 
sano  and  M.  Pietri,  both  of  whom  she  introduced 
to  me.  Almost  immediately  afterward  the  Em- 
press made  her  appearance,  we  ladies  courtesying 
and  the  gentlemen  bowing  low. 

6 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

Her  Imperial  Majesty  welcomed  me  most 
kindly,  hoped  I  had  had  a  pleasant  journey  and 
had  left  my  grandmother  well ;  and  then,  after  a 
ceremonious  bow  from  the  maitre  d'hotel,  who 
announced,  "Le  diner  de  sa  Majeste  est  servi," 
the  Due  de  Bassano  offered  the  Empress  his  arm, 
M.  Pietri  took  in  Mme.  Le  Breton,  and  we  three 
girls  followed,  passing  into  the  dining-room  at  the 
end  of  the  gallery. 

It  seemed  strange  to  realize,  a  moment  later, 
that  I  was  comfortably  seated  at  the  Empress's 
table,  and  stranger  still,  that  I  did  not  feel  a  lit- 
tle out  of  it,  as  I  probably  should  have  done  any- 
where else  on  a  first  evening,  but  I  suppose  the 
charm  and  perfect  good-breeding  of  the  Empress 
account  for  my  ease  in  these  new  surroundings. 
H.  I.  M.  was  very  much  struck,  when  Mme.  Le 
Breton  told  her  about  my  sejour  first  at  Chisle- 
hurst,  and  then  in  the  house  the  imperial  party 
had  just  vacated  in  London. 

"Vous  voyez,  Mademoiselle,"  she  said,  "le  sort 
voulait  absolument  que  nous  nous  connussions 
[You  see,  Mademoiselle,  Fate  was  determined  we 
should  meet] !" 

She  asked  me  many  questions  about  Chisle- 
hurst, — one  of  them  when  it  was  I  first  went 
there  to  live.  I  tried,  but  vainly,  to  avoid  an- 
swering, as  it  was  the  sad  year  (1879)   of  the 

7 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Prince  Imperial's  death,  and  I  saw  tears  gather  in 
her  eyes  immediately  I  was  forced  into  mention- 
ing it. 

After  dinner,  the  two  girls  and  I  walked  up 
and  down  the  gallery  for  about  half  an  hour  with 
the  Empress,  who  told  us  all  sorts  of  interest- 
ing things  about  her  past  life.  Then  we  went 
into  the  drawing-room  and  I  was  asked  to  play 
the  piano ;  my  pieces  were  apparently  much  liked 
and  the  Empress  seemed  pleased  and  anxious  for 
more.  After  a  little  while,  thinking  I  might  per- 
haps be  giving  them  a  dose,  I  left  off,  but  the  Em- 
press said  with  so  much  insistence,  "Encore  un 
petit  morceau,  Mademoiselle,  si  vous  n'etes  pas  f a- 
tiguee;  vous  nous  faites  tant  de  plaisir  [Another 
piece  please,  Mademoiselle,  if  you  are  not  tired; 
you  give  us  so  much  pleasure] ,"  that  I  acceded  to 
her  wish.  At  ten  o'clock  the  gentlemen  came 
in  from  the  billiard-room,  and  then,  on  a  sign 
from  the  Empress,  M.  and  A.  got  up,  and  kissed 
their  aunt's  hand  (a  custom  in  Spain).  We 
three  then  shook  hands  with  Mme.  Le  Breton 
and  the  gentlemen,  courtesied  to  the  Empress  and 
retired. 

Here  follows  the  usual  order  of  the  day:  At 
eight  o'clock  M.,  A.  and  I  breakfasted  in  the 
dining-room  at  a  little  table  laid  for  us  in  the  bay- 
window.  From  eight-thirty  to  twelve  we  de- 
voted ourselves  to  English  and  music.     Then  us- 

8 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

ually  a  tap  at  our  door  and  a  little  visit  from  the 
Empress,  with  whom  we  nearly  always  went  for 
our  morning  walk.  At  one  o'clock  luncheon  all 
together;  then  another  walk  or  drive — after 
which,  at  four- forty-five,  rosary  for  the  whole 
household  in  the  chapel,  the  Empress  herself  say- 
ing all  the  prayers,  both  before  and  after.  At 
five  o'clock,  afternoon  tea  all  together  in  the  salon 
du  matin  and  after  a  more  or  less  prolonged 
general  conversation,  the  girls  studied  again 
till  dressing-time  at  seven-thirty.  At  eight 
o'clock,  dinner,  after  which  our  usual  little  walk 
up  and  down  the  gallery  with  the  Empress,  fol- 
lowed by  needlework  and  conversation  in  the 
drawing-room,  and  bed  at  ten; — to  begin  again 
the  same  next  day,  till  visitors  or  some  unusual 
event  occasioned  some  slight  change  of  program. 
Farnborough  Hill  is  a  beautiful  dwelling, 
much  finer  than  Camden  Place,  the  Empress's 
Chislehurst  home  for  a  good  many  years.  Had 
it  been  possible  for  her  to  remain  at  Camden 
Place,  she  would  never  have  made  a  move  into 
Hampshire.  Mr.  Stroud,  owner  of  Camden 
Place,  would  willingly  have  sold  her  his  property, 
but  the  Empress  could  not  succeed  in  getting 
possession  of  the  adjoining  land  necessary  for 
building  the  mausoleum  for  husband  and  son 
which  she  had  set  her  heart  on.  In  telling  us 
about  her  efforts,  she  spoke  with  much  sadness 

9 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  not  a  little  bitterness:  explaining  how  hard 
it  had  been  for  her  to  beg  permission  to  buy  a 
little  land  wherein  to  bury  her  husband  and  son, 
and  to  be  refused  it  by  a  man  who  owned  such 
broad  acres  as  did  Mr.  E.,  a  rich  German  toy- 
manufacturer,  who  seemed  disinclined  to  sell  an 
inch  of  land  to  the  French  Empress. 

My  letters,  written  at  the  time,  give  a  most 
minute  description  of  Farnborough  Hill,  and  in 
the  following  pages  I  give  some  of  the  more  im- 
portant details,  nearly  always  using  the  original 
words. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
February  28,  1886. 

The  accompanying  plan  gives  a  little  idea  of 
how  the  reception  rooms  all  open  out  on  to  the 
first  central  gallery,  or  hall,  which  is  about  120 
feet  long  by  20  feet  broad,  and  filled  with  most 
artistic  and  lovely  things.  Grouped  about  the 
entrance  to  the  grand  salon  are  two  lovely  Louis 
XVI  arm-chairs,  some  smaller  chairs  of  the  same 
period,  two  sofas,  footstools  to  match,  and  four 
beautiful  cabinets  with  splendid  Sevres  plaques 
let  in.  ^hese  cabinets,  even  years  ago,  were  each 
valued  at  100,000  francs,  according  to  Mme.  Le 

10 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

Breton.  They  belonged  formerly  to  Napoleon 
Ill's  mother,  Queen  Hortense,  daughter  of  Jo- 
sephine Beauharnais  (by  a  marriage  previous  to 
that  with  Napoleon  Bonaparte)  later  the  beauti- 
ful Creole  Empress.  At  the  lower  extremity  of 
the  gallery  are  the  Empress  Eugenie's  own  pri- 
vate sitting-room  and  another  called  the  "Prince 


Imperial's  room" ;  beyond  which,  following  along 
to  the  left,  is  a  sweet  little  boudoir  called  petit 
salon  de  VImperatrice;  then  come,  beyond,  the 
handsome  old  carved  staircase,  le  salon  des  dames 
used  as  a  study,  and  the  large  salon  du  matin. 
Further  on,  three  enormous  oriel  windows,  in 
front  of  which  are  tiled  jardinieres,  whose  fra- 
grant flowers  perfume  all  the  gallery,  and  so  on 
to  the  dining-room  door  which  ends  the  gallery. 
On  the  wall  opposite  each  oriel  window  hang 
magnificent  Gobelins,  three  of  a  series  of  six, 
which  is  completed  in  the  dining-room.  They 
represent  different  episodes  in  the  life  of  the  illus- 

11 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

trious  Don  Quixote,  and  are  always  much  ad- 
mired by  connoisseurs. 

Next  in  sequence,  on  our  return  down  the  gal- 
lery, comes  the  billiard-room;  then  the  grand 
salon  and  the  entrance  to  the  handsome  vestibule, 
and  back  again  to  the  Empress's  apartments, 
whence  we  started  on  our  travels. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
February  28,  1886. 

Scattered  about  among  the  Queen  Hortense 
cabinets  and  other  historic  furniture,  are  palm 
trees,  and  a  few  good  pieces  of  modern  stat- 
uary by  the  best  sculptors  of  the  day,  including  a 
great  number  of  busts.  Napoleon  I's  immediate 
family  has  certainly  not  been  neglected.  They 
are  all  there :  Charles  Bonaparte,  his  father ;  Le- 
titia,  his  mother,  styled  Madame  Mere;  his  broth- 
ers— Joseph,  King  of  Spain,  Jerome,  King  of 
Westphalia,  and  Louis,  father  of  Napoleon  III, 
King  of  Holland ;  Caroline,  who  married  Joachim 
Murat,  King  of  Naples;  and  finally,  Eliza  and 
Lucien,  these  two  being  the  only  ones  of  the  fam- 
ily who  never  wore  a  crown.  Then,  too,  there  is  a 
bust  of  the  great  man  himself,  and  many  of  Na- 
poleon III;  Queen  Hortense;  Princess  Mathilde; 
and  Prince  Napoleon-Louis,  brother  of  Louis- 
Napoleon. 

12 


S.     2 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

The  walls  of  the  gallery  can  boast  some  very 
fine  paintings;  a  large,  life-size  portrait  of  the 
Empress  and  baby  prince,  by  Winterhalter ;  a 
sweet  one  of  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  the  Prin- 
cesse  Anna  Murat,  Her  Imperial  Majesty's  niece ; 
and  the  Duchesse  d'Albe,  the  Empress's  own  sis- 
ter, also  by  Winterhalter ;  also  a  wonderful  Sun- 
set on  the  steppes  of  Russia  by  Aivasovski;  An 
Eastern  Woman;  a  Madonna  with  the  Infant 
Jesus  and  St.  John  by  W.  Bouguereau,  and 
others  more  or  less  important. 

In  the  outer  vestibule,  which  opens  into  the 
gallery  opposite  the  old  staircase,  are  also  some 
fine  canvases,  and  one  in  particular,  The  Em- 
press and  her  Ladies,  painted  by  Winterhalter  in 
1855.  It  is  a  large  picture  about  10  by  18  feet, 
I  should  say,  containing  a  life-size  portrait  of  Eu- 
genie seated  in  the  midst  of  her  ladies-in-waiting. 
When  she  showed  me  this  picture  one  day,  she 
gazed  at  it  in  a  wistful  way,  while  naming  the  dif- 
ferent ladies  and  expatiating  on  the  beauty  of 
nearly  all  of  them.  She  specially  pointed  out  the 
Princesse  d'Essling,  her  grande  maitresse  (Mis- 
tress of  the  Robes) ;  the  Duchesse  de  Bassano,  her 
dame  d'honneur;  the  Comtesse  de  Montebello; 
the  Vicomtesse  Aguado ;  the  Marquise  de  Latour- 
Maubourg,  and  made  interesting  remarks  about 
many  of  them.  On  either  side  of  the  handsomely 
carved  fireplace  hang  life-size  portraits  of  Prince 

13 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Eugene  de  Beauharnais  (adopted  son  of  Napol- 
eon I)  and  his  sister  Princesse  de  Beauharnais 
(Princesse  en  Baviere)  both  by  Reisner.  In 
front  of  these  stands  a  bath  chair,  ornamented 
with  gilding  and  pastel  medallions,  given  by 
Queen  Victoria  to  the  Empress,  when  she, 
with  the  Emperor,  came  over  to  England  as  her 
guest  to  visit  the  first  International  Exhibition 
(1851). 

Leaving  the  lower  gallery  and  ascending  the 
grand  staircase,  which  half-way  up  branches  off  to 
right  and  to  left,  we  come  upon  a  very  striking 
portrait  of  Napoleon  I  during  the  Italian  cam- 
paign. He  is  mounted  on  a  white  charger,  full 
of  life,  clambering  up  a  steep  snow-covered  ascent 
in  the  Alps.  This  is  by  David,  and  has  been  re- 
produced under  the  title  of  Napoleon  the  Great 
Crossing  Mount  St.  Bernard,  May,  1800.  An 
enormous  picture  by  Gerard,  Queen  Hortense 
and  her  Two  Boys,  and  Troops  at  Sunrise  by 
Protais,  are  other  paintings  on  the  staircase.  By 
the  time  we  have  passed  a  few  other  smaller  pic- 
tures on  our  way  up,  we  find  ourselves  in  a  gallery 
the  counterpart  of  the  one  below.  In  this  upper 
gallery,  besides  more  statues  and  paintings,  there 
are  several  glass  show  cases  filled  with  all  sorts  of 
interesting  autograph  letters,  etc. 


14 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
February  20,  1886. 
After  luncheon  one  Sunday,  on  returning  from 
a  little  walk  in  the  park  with  the  Empress,  she 
very  kindly  showed  me  over  the  reception  rooms, 
telling  me  the  history  of  the  beautiful  things  in 
the  vitrines,  and  pointing  out  the  best  paintings, 
etc.  I  certainly  could  not  have  had  a  more  inter- 
esting cicerone.  First  we  went  into  the  grand 
salon,  which  is  a  large  room  about  30  feet  square 
with  a  deep  bay-window,  and  the  ceiling  like  the 
dining-room,  painted  to  imitate  sky  and  clouds; 
there  is  also  a  simulated  balcony  covered  with 
creeping  roses,  the  perspective  of  which  is  so 
good,  that  you  think  you  need  only  climb  upon  it, 
to  find  yourself  in  the  open  air.  Some  of  the  fur- 
niture is  modern,  but  most  of  it  old — Louis  XVI 
meuble — saved  from  the  burning  of  the  Tuileries, 
and  covered  with  handsome  Gobelins.  In  one 
corner  of  the  room  is  the  piano,  in  another  a  sofa, 
in  front  of  which  is  the  large  oval  table,  around 
which  we  play  cards  or  work  of  an  evening. 
Here  is  where  the  Empress  usually  sits — bolt  up- 
right, but  gracefully  nevertheless  and-  without 
stiffness,  very  rarely  if  ever  leaning  back.  She 
has  an  inveterate  hatred  of  modern  sprawling. 

On  each  side  of  the  grand  salon  door  are  glass 
cabinets  which  contain  interesting  historical  and 

15 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

other  souvenirs,  endless  miniatures  of  the  Em- 
press Josephine,  and  a  gold  snuffbox,  with  a  min- 
iature of  Napoleon  I  and  his  little  son,  le  Roi  de 
Rome.     The  Empress  told  me  that  Napoleon 
had  this  in  his  hand  when  he  breathed  his  last  at 
St.  Helena.     There  is  also  a  feather  fan,  brilliant 
with  iridescent  beetle-wings,  the  gold  handle  of 
which  is  set  with  large  oriental  pearls,  given  by 
the  ladies  of  Algiers  to  the  Empress  during  an 
official  journey  in  1860.     In  connection  with  it, 
she  told  me  amusingly  of  her  misery  at  a  wedding 
in  Algiers,  in  having  constantly  to  swallow  the 
jams  and  preserves  made  of  violets  and  roses, 
which  were  presented  at  every  minute.     She  re- 
membered vividly  also  the  penetrating  smell  of 
attar-of -roses  which  permeated  even  the  food  and 
nauseated   her.     A   beautiful   gold   tea   service 
brought  back  for  her  from  India  by  the  Prince 
of  Wales  after  his  official  trip  in  1875;  a  shapely 
little  marble  hand   (that  of  Princess  Maud  of 
Wales)  and  some  splendid  jewels,  given  the  Em- 
press by  the  different  cities  of  France,  when  dur- 
ing her  husband's  absence  in  the  Crimean  and 
other  wars,  she  was  three  different  times  (1859; 
1865;  1870)  proclaimed  Regente.     A  sweet  lit- 
tle Union  Jack,  too,  in  diamonds,  rubies  and 
sapphires,  given  by  Queen  Victoria,  after  the 
signing  of  some  treaty  between  England  and 
France,  and  numberless  other  fascinating  things. 

16 


v)  JtAtitvv4toc  J.vlbA  JitTioc'toim 
_/ — — 


•  ' t  Ic'K  (If   UirutfAo ...■-in  ^;O.VU) X&WVU 

LA  i  t  i*V.  i»  ?  i  ici?va  it  eo-tevtttv 


A  TYPICAL  M&NU  AT  FARNBOROUGH  HILL 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

In  this  room  are  some  of  the  best  and  most 
important  pictures  of  the  house,  nearly  all  life- 
size  and  full  length,  by  Gerard  or  David,  which 
is  praise  enough.  Eliza  and  her  daughter  by 
David;  the  Empress  Josephine;  Louis,  King  of 
Holland,  and  his  wife  Hortense  in  their  royal 
robes  and  insignia,  all  by  Gerard.  There  are 
also  two  pastels,  Princess  Mathilde,  the  sister, 
and  Princess  Clotilde,  the  wife  of  Prince  Na- 
poleon (Plon-Plon),  and  two  beautiful  pictures, 
at  least  I  call  them  that,  a  St.  John  and  a  copy 
of  Raphael's  Vierge  a  la  Chaise,  which  are  so  mar- 
velously  executed  that  I  had  to  be  twice  assured 
by  the  Empress  before  I  could  believe  they  really 
were  mosaics.  They  had  been  sent  for  some  far- 
away birthday,  to  the  little  Prince  Imperial  by 
Pope  Pius  IX,  who  was  his  godfather. 

In  the  petit  salon  de  VImperatrice  there  is  no 
modern  furniture,  all  is  Louis  XVI,  and  the  pic- 
tures themselves  are  mostly  of  that  epoch.  A 
painting  of  Marie  Antoinette  by  the  celebrated 
Mme.  Vigee-Lebrun,  who  mentions  the  sittings 
for  that  very  portrait  in  her  Memoirs,  which  I 
have  just  been  reading;  several  Wouvermans; 
two  delightful  heads  by  Greuze ;  a  very  sad  look- 
ing head  of  poor  little  Louis  XVII  painted  about 
the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  several  by  Alex- 
andre Couder  and  others. 

In  a  glass  case  lies  a  pocket-knife  and  a  few 
17 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

other  relics  of  Louis  XVI.  The  Empress  told 
me  she  had  formerly  possessed  quantities  of  other 
things  belonging  to  him,  but  they  were  all  burnt 
at  the  Tuileries  during  the  Commune.  In  an- 
other carefully  locked  case,  there  are  more  mini- 
atures of  the  different  Napoleons,  and  one  repre- 
senting the  Due  de  Bassano's  father,  the  first 
duke  of  that  name  and  minister  under  Napoleon 
I ;  a  simple  but  very  lovrely  diamond  and  sapphire 
ring,  Empress  Josephine's  engagement  ring;  the 
Empress  Eugenie's  own  marriage  prayer  book 
of  repousse  silver  incrusted  with  diamonds;  the 
Prince  Imperial's  nceud  de  premiere  communion 
(a  white  ribbon  badge  he  wore  French  fashion 
around  his  arm  on  his  First  Communion  day) ; 
magnificently  jeweled  porte-bouquets  presented 
by  different  towns  during  her  journey  in  Algeria; 
and  so  many  other  beautiful  and  interesting 
things,  that  it  is  impossible  to  enumerate  them  all 
today. 

From  the  petit  salon  de  Vlmperatrice  I  was 
taken  one  day  by  the  Empress  into  the  so-called 
cabinet  du  Prince.  This  was  a  great  exception 
in  my  favor.  It  is  a  large  room  in  which  the 
Prince's  things  are  arranged  exactly  as  they 
were  in  the  one  he  was  occupying  at  Camden 
Place,  Chislehurst,  before  leaving  for  Natal, — 
his  writing  materials  and  still  unopened  letters 
lying  on  his  desk !     She  told  me,  poor  Empress, — 

18 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

crying  bitterly  all  the  time, — that  though  she  did 
not  really  expect  such  a  terrible  blow,  she  never 
could  shake  off  a  strong  presentiment  of  danger, 
and  as  soon  as  ever  her  son  had  started  for  Zulu- 
land  (having  wrung  an  unwilling  consent  from 
her),  she  had  all  his  belongings  covered  up  care- 
fully, the  place  of  each  marked  with  a  piece  of 
chalk,  and  the  room  locked,  that  nothing  might 
be  touched.  She  said  that  the  night  before  she 
learned  the  news  of  his  death,  she  wakened 
up  suddenly,  hearing  her  son's  voice  distinctly 
calling  her.  Of  course,  her  extreme  anxiety 
might  easily  account  for  this,  but  she  herself  quite 
believed  it  was  no  hallucination,  but  his  real  cry 
of  distress, — Mere!  Mere — which  reached  her; 
telepathy  in  fact.  The  Empress  showed  me  an 
album  given  her  since  that  sad  event  by  Queen 
Victoria.  It  contains  sketches  of  the  events  of 
the  Prince  Imperial's  entire  English  career,  at 
Chislehurst  and  Woolwich,  and  during  the  fatal 
campaign  in  Natal.  In  this  album  is  a  water 
color  representing  the  Last  Bivouac;  the  Prince 
is  depicted  sitting  on  a  little  mound  making  a 
sketch,  while  the  savages  crept  up  stealthily  be- 
hind him.  The  Empress  afterward  showed  me 
the  Prince's  own  sketch.  In  looking  through  the 
Prince's  private  photograph-album  with  his 
mother  that  day,  among  those  of  his  relations  and 
college  friends  I  came  across  the  picture  of  E.  S., 

19 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

one  of  three  very  beautiful  sisters,  cousins  of 
mine,  who  lived  at  Chislehurst  during  the  Prince's 
youthful  years  there.  I  had  heard  he  was  in 
love  with  E.  S.  and  was  told  by  Mme.  Le  Breton 
that  he  was  often  seen,  when  passing  in  and  out 
of  church,  looking  at  her  with  admiring  eyes. 
He  gave  her  his  photograph  one  evening,  on  re- 
turning from  the  opera  while  traveling  down 
from  London  in  the  train.  This  was  just  before 
leaving  for  South  Africa. 

Nearly  all  round  this  cabinet  du  Prince  are 
bookcases,  containing  his  favorite  books.  On  the 
mantelpiece  stands  an  old  clock  formerly  in  Na- 
poleon I's  room  at  Longwood  House,  St.  Helena; 
there  is  also  a  bronze  bust  of  Napoleon  III,  and 
one  of  the  Abbe  Duguerry,  one  time  the  Prince's 
tutor,  shot  during  the  Commune.  Near  one  of 
the  windows  is  a  beautifully  carved  silver  bas- 
sinette, swinging  between  two  solid  imperial 
eagles,  and  decorated  with  the  Prince's  arms  and 
those  of  the  ville  de  Paris,  a  gift  from  the  city  at 
the  time  of  his  birth. 

There  are  several  veiled  pictures  in  this  same 
room,  representing  the  tragic  moment  of  the 
Prince's  death,  pierced  with  Zulu  assagais. 
These  the  Empress  passed  rapidly  by.  Here 
also  are  two  glass  cases,  containing  all  the  little 
personal  treasures  and  souvenirs  of  his  father  and 
of  his  childhood;  his  first  little  uniform;  presents 

20 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

given  him  by  sovereigns,  among  others  a  beautiful 
little  diamond-sheathed  scimitar,  from  the  Sultan 
of  Turkey ;  all  of  the  personal  effects  he  had  with 
him  at  the  Cape — his  sketch-books,  plans,  maps, 
check  books,  and  note-books,  and  also  the  sword 
(originally  his  father's)  with  which  he  so  bravely 
defended  himself  on  that  fatal  day  against  the 
Zulus,  until  overpowered  by  numbers. 

In  the  center  of  one  of  these  cases  is  a  small 
ebony  compartment.  It  contains  the  shirt 
stained  with  his  blood  and  torn  with  assagais,  to- 
gether with  the  medal  and  gold  chain  his  grand- 
mother, Countess  Monti  jo,  put  around  his  neck 
at  his  birth.  This  he  retained  to  the  last,  the 
Zulus  being  afraid,  when  stripping  him  of  every- 
thing else,  to  touch  it,  thinking  it  was  a  charm. 
Over  this  sad  little  sanctum  is  written  in  large 
letters:  "Que  votre  volonte  soit  faite  [Thy  will 
be  done],"  and  in  front  of  it  on  a  slab  is  a  little 
white  marble  cross,  on  which  Princess  Beatrice 
has  painted  very  prettily  the  word  "Fiat"  sur- 
rounded by  violets. 

The  Empress,  naturally,  did  not  open  this  com- 
partment for  me,  but  silently  passed  it  by  with  a 
lingering  look  of  infinite  sadness  and  a  sigh. 
Her  nieces  tell  me  she  has  never  yet  had  the 
courage  to  look  on  these  sad  relics,  and  Uhlmann, 
the  Prince's  faithful  body-servant,  keeps  the  key. 
Most  of  the  above  named  things  of  the  Prince's 

21 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

were  obtained  from  the  Zulu  king,  Cetewayo,  by 
Queen  Victoria,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Sir  Redyers  Buller,  or  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  the  Em- 
press said.  Only  one  thing  was  never  recovered ; 
it  was  destroyed  through  the  ignorant  supersti- 
tion of  the  Zulus — and  that  was  the  Prince's 
watch.  An  old  warrior  who  was  questioned  con- 
cerning it  by  Dr.  Scott,  when  accompanying  the 
Empress  on  her  journey  to  Zululand  in  1880, 
said  very  innocently:  "The  little  beast,  you 
mean? — Oh,  we  were  afraid  of  it,  so  we  killed  it." 
Having  no  notion  about  the  nature  of  mechanism, 
they  thought  the  ticking  of  the  watch  indicated 
a  live  creature,  and  so  they  stamped  it  out  of  ex- 
istence. 

From  a  letter : 

The  Empress  next  took  me  into  the  dining- 
room,  through  looking-glass  doors  with  gilt 
framework,  saved  from  the  Tuileries,  and  which 
make  the  already  long  gallery  look  interminable. 
It  is  a  very  handsomely  proportioned  room,  about 
45  feet  long,  the  ceiling  like  that  of  the  grand 
salon  imitating  clouds  and  sky,  and  the  walls  cov- 
ered with  priceless  Gobelins  framed  with  carved 
oak.  There  are  two  huge  bay-windows,  in  one 
of  which  as  I  have  already  told  you,  our  little 
breakfast  table  is  placed.     The  parquet  floor  is 

22 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

highly  polished  and  in  the  center,  on  a  thick  Tur- 
key carpet,  is  the  dining  table.  Though  really- 
large,  it  looks  almost  lost  in  that  immense  room. 

Over  the  large  marble  fireplace,  in  which  a 
glorious  wood  fire  now  nearly  always  sparkles 
and  crackles,  is  a  bust  of  the  Empress  Marie 
Louise ;  and  on  each  side  of  a  very  valuable  Louis 
XVI  dressoir  stand  two  large  gilt  candelabra, 
each  about  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  supported  by 
Sevres  figures.  There,  too,  on  one  side,  is  a 
beautiful  marble  statue,  L 'Innocence,  and  on  a 
console  a  clock  from  Toledo,  given  the  Empress 
by  King  Alfonso  and  Queen  Christina  of  Spain, 
the  case  of  which  is  most  elaborately  worked  in 
steel  and  gold,  a  curious  but  rich  effect. 

Now  for  the  dining  table  itself.  In  the  center 
is  a  silver  basket,  well  filled  with  growing  ferns ; 
salt-cellars  and  finger-bowls  are  placed  around 
the  table  for  everybody;  and  each  person,  too, 
has  a  toothpick, — to  be  used  or  not,  according  to 
inclination.  I  do  not  patronize  mine,  but  I  am 
the  exception — the  other  diners  use  them  con- 
scientiously, I  assure  you!  I  shall  be  perhaps 
less  horrified  at  the  thought,  as  time  goes  on. 

The  chef  sends  up  good  and  varied  dinners,  but 
never  too  long.  The  carving  is  done  at  a  side 
table,  and  the  food  handed  around  in  silver  dishes 
by  the  maitre  ds  hotel,  old  Schmidt.     The  plates, 

23 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

with  the  exception  of  a  few  Sevres  china  ones 
used  for  dessert,  are  all  plain  silver,  and  have  a 
large  "N"  and  imperial  crown  engraved  on  the 
edge.  This  simple  service,  so  called,  now  in 
every-day  use,  belonged  formerly  to  the  Emper- 
or's campaigning  kit.  The  regular  table  silver 
used  at  the  Tuileries  was  stolen,  so  the  Empress 
told  us,  before  the  burning  of  the  palace.  At 
Farnborough  for  grand  occasions,  when,  for  in- 
stance the  Queen  dines  here,  there  appears  a 
lovely  and  very  complete  vermeille  service,  which 
once  belonged  to  Queen  Hortense,  the  Emperor's 
mother.  I,  for  my  part,  do  not  enjoy  using  it, 
for  unaccustomed  as  I  am  to  eating  off  such  pre- 
cious metal,  I  never  can  quite  get  over  the  impres- 
sion that  it  is  brass  my  food  is  resting  on  instead  of 
silver  gilt. 

All  the  men-servants  except  an  English  under- 
butler,  have  been  soldiers  in  the  French  army  and 
are  anciens  serviteurs  des  Tuileries.  They  look 
very  trim  standing  behind  the  chairs, — soldierly, 
but  less  stiff  and  more  human  than  the  English 
flunky,  and  they  serve  so  well!  Every  want  is 
instantly  noticed  if  not  anticipated.  Poor  old 
Schmidt  makes  us  all  laugh  sometimes,  for  as  he 
hands  around  each  dish  his  duty  is  to  name  it, 
and  being  very  deaf  and  unable  to  control  his  own 
voice  well,  he  often  screams  it  out  rather  louder 
than  necessary,  to  the  surprise  and  amusement 

24 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

of  every  one.     The  menu  is  always  headed  thus: 

"Diner  (ou  Dejeuner)  de  Sa 
Majeste  l'lmperatrice." 

The  two  meals  are  exactly  alike,  except  that 
there  is  no  soup  at  luncheon  and  the  coffee  is 
then  served  at  table,  whereas  after  dinner  it  is 
brought  into  the  gallery. 

On  Saturday  the  Empress  is  going  to  Windsor 
to  stay  a  couple  of  days  with  the  Queen,  accom- 
panied as  usual  on  these  occasions  by  Mme.  de 
Arcos  and  the  Due  de  Bassano.  I  have  just  been 
sending  off  a  telegram  from  the  Empress  to 
Princess  Beatrice,  asking  what  will  be  the  most 
convenient  time  for  arrival  at  the  castle.  We 
shall  be  delighted  when  the  Empress  returns,  for 
she  and  the  Duke  are  the  soul  of  the  house. 

M.  and  A.  hardly  ever  speak  at  table  unless 
addressed  by  their  aunt,  but  alone  with  me  they 
are  most  voluble  and  we  have  nice  long  talks 
about  Spain,  and  especially  Madrid,  for  which 
(in  spite  of  all  the  Empress's  care  and  kindness) 
they  are  sometimes  a  little  homesick.  So  occa- 
sionally, when  they  have  made  some  decided  head- 
way with  their  English  conversation,  I  let  them 
chatter  away  to  me  in  Spanish,  to  our  mutual  sat- 
isfaction. 


25 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
February  22,  1886. 

The  other  day,  as  we  were  leaving  our  little  sa- 
lon d 'etudes  and  following  the  Empress  upstairs 
to  the  chapel,  she  said  to  me,  "Vous  devez  trouver, 
Mademoiselle,  que  c'est  un  peu  la  vie  du  couvent 
ici."  To  which  I  answered  playfully:  "Ma- 
dame, je  trouve  que  c'est  un  couvent  fort  beau  et 
interessant;  si  tous  etaient  aussi  charmants,  je 
n'hesiterais  pas  a  me  faire  religieuse,"  * — and  she 
laughed. 

The  rosary  over,  and  before  tea,  the  Empress 
having  discovered  that  I  had  not  yet  seen  the 
state  bedrooms,  went  all  through  them  with  us 
for  my  benefit. 

First,  with  the  Due  de  Bassano's  permission, 
we  visited  his  apartment,  consisting  of  bedroom, 
dressing-  and  sitting-room,  of  which  he  did  the 
honors  most  amiably,  showing  us  among  other 
treasured  things,  a  painting  of  Empress  Jose- 
phine, his  godmother,  a  little  pencil  drawing  of  a 
white  horse  done  by  le  Roi  de  Rome,  Napoleon 
I's  son,  and  also  numberless  photographs  of  his 
own  children  and  grandchildren,  of  whom  he  is 

i  "You  must  find,  Mademoiselle,  that  it  is  rather  a  convent  life 
here." — "Madame,  I  find  it  a  very  beautiful  and  interesting  con- 
vent; if  all  convents  were  as  charming,  I  should  not  hesitate  to 
become  a  nun." 

26 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

passionately  fond.  The  private  passageway 
leading  to  the  Duke's  suite  is  full  of  engravings 
of  European  sovereigns  and  all  the  English 
princes  and  princesses,  to  which  are  attached  their 
signatures.  This  smaller  hallway  in  its  turn 
leads  back  to  the  principal  gallery,  where,  as  I 
have  told  you  before,  in  addition  to  the  Empress's 
room,  will  be  found  that  of  Mme.  Le  Breton,  a 
splendid  room  kept  for  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy, 
and  others  for  the  Due  d'Albe,  Mme.  de  Arcos, 
Mile.  Corvisart  and  different  friends  and 
habitues. 

With  the  exception  of  a  splendid  toilette  table 
covered  with  gold  fittings  which  she  never  by  any 
chance  uses — formerly  the  property  of  Queen 
Hortense — the  Empress's  bedroom  is  very  simple 
compared  with  the  rooms  of  most  women  of  fash- 
ion. A  large  bed,  two  or  three  cane  chairs,  a 
priedieu  over  which  hang  a  crucifix  and  rosary, 
a  few  sketches  of  the  late  Emperor's  room  done 
by  herself,  on  the  walls ;  a  glass  case  with  family 
souvenirs  of  an  intimate  kind,  among  others  the 
Emperor's  hat  cribU  de  trous,  worn  the  night  of 
the  Orsini  attentat,  a  small  table  with  a  few  books 
of  devotion,  and  that  is  all. 

None  of  my  letters  seem  to  speak  of  the  Em- 
27 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

press's  dressing-room,  so  I  supplement  from 
memory.  There  was  nothing  particularly  unique 
about  this  very  plain  room,  which,  however,  con- 
tained all  the  toilet  essentials.  In  one  corner,  a 
large  table  with  a  circular  mirror  at  the  back ;  on 
it  absolutely  nothing  but  an  enormous  flat  wicker- 
work  basket,  lined  with  muslin ;  this  was  the  bas- 
ket given  her  filled  with  flowers,  by  the  dames  de 
la  Halle  on  her  wedding  day.  In  this,  every 
morning  and  evening,  her  maid  used  to  lay  out 
a  set  of  fresh  underclothes.  Simple,  almost  to 
shabbiness,  as  her  plain  outer  garments  sometimes 
were,  her  underclothes  were  very  beautiful,  dain- 
tily made  and  of  the  most  exquisite  materials, 
and  she  used  to  don  her  things  with  the  most  won- 
derful speed.  Among  her  chemises,  there  were 
some  which  Mme.  Pelletier  told  me  were  pet  ones 
of  hers,  and  which  she  wore  only  occasionally. 
They  had  belonged  to  Queen  Hortense,  and  were 
of  the  most  beautiful  fine  linen,  cut  out  of  a  single 
piece  and  delicately  embroidered  by  hand  round 
the  neck  and  sleeves. 

The  only  other  things  of  importance  in  the 
room,  were  a  screen,  which  made  a  secluded  spot 
for  her  to  dress  in;  her  porcelain  bath  tub,  with 

28 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

curtains  drawn  around  it;  an  upright  wooden 
portemanteau  on  which  her  clothes  were  hung 
temporarily  while  dressing;  and  a  large  armoire 
a  glace,  partly  filled  with  exquisite  linen,  and 
where,  also  in  a  compartment,  amid  delicious 
sachets,  she  kept  stores  of  gloves  made  for  her 
formerly  in  great  quantities  in  Spain  and  Italy, 
and  other  personal  things.  Out  of  this  armoire 
one  evening  she  got  some  pairs  of  evening  gloves 
for  me,  and  at  another  time  on  our  return  from 
Osborne,  when  our  trunks  were  belated,  she  very 
kindly  presented  me  with  a  toothbrush  from  her 
supply.  It  was  especially  made  for  her  and  had 
Dr.  Evans's  name  stamped  on  it. 

She  never  went  near  her  bedroom,  except  to 
dress  or  sleep,  and  kept  none  of  her  personal  be- 
longings there.  She  liked  a  rather  hard  bed, 
and  used  only  a  small  hair  pillow;  always  had  her 
window  open,  kept  the  temperature  very  low 
and  would  allow  no  heat  in  the  room  at  night, 
but  in  the  depth  of  winter  consented  to  a  little  fire 
in  the  morning  to  dress  by.  I  never  saw  her  in 
bed,  but  her  nieces  had  done  so  several  times, 
and  told  me  she  wore  a  very  pretty,  fluffy  little 
nightcap.     About  ten  o'clock  was  her  usual  time 

29 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

for  coming  downstairs  of  a  morning,  except  for 
some  special  occasion,  or  on  Sundays  when  we 
had  to  start  early  for  church. 

Close  by  was  another  room  called  Les  At  ours, 
after  a  similar  one  at  the  Tuileries.  This  con- 
tained cupboards  with  large  sliding  doors,  where 
her  dresses  and  outdoor  things  were  put  away, 
and  materials  and  things  for  future  use  stored 
with  the  greatest  order.  She  had  two  maids, 
Mme.  Pelletier,  a  widow  with  several  grown  chil- 
dren living  in  Paris,  and  Elise, — both  excellent 
women.  Mme.  Le  Breton  also  had  a  faithful 
and  very  well-educated  Swiss  maid,  and  these 
three  with  another  young  woman  who  used  to 
come  in  and  help  them,  could  always  be  found 
busily  mending  and  sewing  near  the  Empress's 
dressing-room.  They  seemed  devoted  to  their 
mistress,  and  when  she  found  something  not  up  to 
standard  and  administered  a  reproof,  red  eyes 
were  the  consequence.  But  a  smile  or  two  from 
the  Empress  later  on  speedily  cured  their  passing 
sorrow. 


30 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
November  22,  1886. 

The  turret  chamber,  called  chambre  de  VEm- 
pereur,  was  shown  me  one  day  by  Uhlmann  at 
the  Empress's  behest.  It  contains  undisturbed 
many  of  his  personal  things  and  the  four-post 
bed  he  died  in,  covered  now  with  artificial  mem- 
orial wreaths,  from  one  of  which  Uhlmann  gave 
me  some  roses,  white  lilacs  and  violets.  In  this 
room  it  was  that,  talking  about  father  and  son, 
Uhlmann  told  me  those  touching  things  about 
the  young  Prince  which  I  have  recorded  else- 
where. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill. 

Of  the  salon  du  matin  and  the  billiard-room,  I 
will  say  nothing,  but  that  they  are  simply  and 
comfortably  furnished,  thoroughly  English,  and 
contain  some  very  good  pictures,  among  others  a 
Rousseau,  eighteen  feet  long,  from  which  ducks 
and  waterfowl  attacked  by  an  eagle  seem  posi- 
tively to  be  flying  out,  and  one  can  almost  hear 
their  cries  of  distress.  Another  is  entitled  Stags 
and  Dogs  by  Melin.  In  the  salon  du  matin  there 
is  a  wonderful  painting  of  a  bunch  of  grapes  by 
St.  Jean;  Fruit,  a  composition  by  Rousseau; 
Marguerite  and  Faust  by  Merle ;  a  small  portrait 

31 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

of  Napoleon  I  on  wood  by  Isabey ;  and  a  charm- 
ing portrait  of  the  Prince  Imperial  at  ten  years 
old,  surrounded  by  hunting  dogs,  by  Yvon. 

The  house  chapel  is  very  simple,  just  a  large 
room  with  high  roof  and  rafters  showing,  but  it 
contains  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  historical 
souvenirs  in  the  house,  an  antiquite  over  one  thou- 
sand years  old,  and  the  only  thing  personally 
saved  by  the  Empress  before  leaving  the  Tuiler- 
ies,  after  that  eventful  4  Septembre  which  was  her 
adieu  to  the  throne  of  France.  I  will  try  to 
give  its  history  as  it  was  told  me. 

In  a  Gothic,  chiseled  iron  chasse,  or  shrine, 
about  12  by  20  inches  (with  niches  wherein  are 
tiny  metal  saints),  the  whole  ornamented  with 
precious  stones  and  pearls  very  much  worn  and 
discolored  by  age,  are  three  interior  partitions. 
In  that  on  the  right  hand  is  a  tiny  portion  of  a 
veil  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin;  in  the  left  partition  what  is  said  to  be  a 
piece  of  the  holy  winding  sheet  of  our  Lord; 
and  in  the  center  a  curious  old  gold  reliquary, 
about  three  inches  in  diameter  and  suspended  by 
a  short  chain,  having  in  the  middle  a  pale  green 
polished  translucent  stone,  through  which  one  can 
clearly  distinguish  the  relic  of  the  true  cross  be- 
neath. 

This  talisman  as  it  is  called,  belonged  to  the 
great  Charlemagne,  was  prized  and  worn  by  him 

32 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  time,  and  was 
buried  with  him.  Without  explanation  it  hardly 
seems  possible  that  these  facts  should  be  authen- 
tic, and  that  this  priceless  treasure  should  have 
found  its  way  from  Germany  to  France,  and 
finally  to  a  little  English  village.  This  is  how  it 
was  brought  about: 

When  Charlemagne  died,  he  was  buried  in  a 
vault  beneath  the  Dom,  or  cathedral,  of  his  fa- 
vorite town  of  Achen  (Aix-la-Chapelle).  Curi- 
osity as  to  the  truth  of  a  tradition  stating  that  the 
Emperor  was  buried  sitting  in  a  chair  with  crown 
and  scepter  led  Charles  Quint  to  violate  the  tomb 
of  his  great  ancestor.  This  much  history  tells  us. 
The  rest  of  the  story  is  the  Empress's  version. 
The  vault  was  opened,  and  for  one  instant  the 
sitting  figure  was  discernible — then  it  crumbled 
to  dust.  The  talisman  was  taken  out,  with  scep- 
ter, crown  and  other  non-destructible  things,  and 
deposited  in  the  treasure  of  the  cathedral,  where 
they  remained  until  Napoleon  I,  during  some  visit 
to  Achen,  intimated  to  the  trembling  custodian 
of  the  treasure  that  he  wished  the  reliquary  sur- 
rendered to  him  for  the  Empress  Josephine. 
This  was  promptly  done.  At  her  death  at  Mal- 
maison,  she  bequeathed  it  to  her  daughter,  Queen 
Hortense,  mother  of  Napoleon  III,  by  whom  in 
turn  it  was  given  to  Eugenie. 

When  4-  Septembre  dawned  and  the  Empress 
33 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

hurriedly  left  the  Tuileries,  she  with  her  own 
hands  took  the  talisman  out  of  the  shrine  and  con- 
fided it  to  the  keeping  of  a  faithful  servant,  whose 
home  was  in  Paris,  and  who  all  through  the  dark 
days  of  the  Commune  kept  it  hidden  in  his  kitchen 
cupboard,  over  which  he  had  pasted  a  map  of 
Paris.  No  one  ever  suspected  this  kitchen  of 
containing  anything  so  precious,  and  the  talisman 
was  saved. 

Later  on,  under  MacMahon,  second  president 
of  the  Republic,  when  affairs  had  calmed  down, 
and  a  great  deal  of  the  Empress's  private  prop- 
erty was  courteously  sent  over  to  her  in  England, 
the  talisman  came  too,  and  was  put  back  in  its 
chdsse,  which  also  happily  had  escaped  destruc- 
tion. All  this  the  Empress  told  us  herself  one 
evening,  during  our  constitutional  after  dinner, 
and  before  going  to  bed  I  made  ample  notes  of 
these  interesting  facts. 

From  a  letter: 

In  the  sacristy  the  Empress  one  day  showed  me 
some  wonderful  old  Spanish  vestments,  and  also 
the  famous  rose  d'or  that  Pope  Pius  IX  sent  her 
at  her  son's  baptism.  She  remarked  that  the  rose 
seemed  to  have  brought  misfortune  to  all  the 
sovereign  women  she  knew  who  had  been  so  spe- 

34 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

cially  honored  by  the  Pope :  Empress  Charlotte 
(Maximilian's  wife),  Princess  Clotilde,  herself, 
etc.  It  is  a  rose  delicately  fashioned  in  gold, 
mounted  on  a  conically  shaped  spray  of  golden 
foliage  which  rises  out  of  a  vase  of  the  same  ma- 
terial; rather  disappointing  somehow,  though  of 
beautiful  workmanship. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  25,  1886. 

If  I  wish  my  letters  to  go  out  by  the  three 
o'clock  post,  I  must  now  always  write  before  leav- 
ing my  room,  for  at  present  there  is  no  quiet  nook 
downstairs.  In  the  billiard-room  there  are  usu- 
ally some  of  the  gentlemen ;  in  the  morning- room 
ladies,  gentlemen,  or  both — always  a  noisy,  chatty, 
somewhat  boisterous  party,  who  put  all  ideas  out 
of  one's  head.  Our  late  salon  d'etude  having 
been  changed  into  a  small  drawing-room  as  form- 
erly, it  cannot  now  be  used  for  writing.  The 
drugget  is  up,  showing  the  rich  Turkey  carpet 
beneath ;  the  chairs  and  sofas  have  taken  off  their 
white  pinafores  and  show  their  pretty  pale-blue 
satin  dresses  again;  the  large  useful  table  has 
disappeared,  giving  place  to  several  antique 
pieces  of  furniture,  on  which  6b jets  d'art  are  now 
tastefully  scattered.  In  fact,  the  room  is  not 
recognizable,  except  for  the  beautiful  pictures, 

35 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

which  hang  unchanged  on  the  walls.     There  are 
several  dainty  Meissoniers  among  them. 

By  the  way,  tell  H.  that  the  large  picture  she 
admired  so  much — Une  Messe  en  Kabylie — is  the 
representation  of  a  real  scene  which  took  place  in 
Algiers.  One  day  during  his  stay  here,  Prince 
Joachim  Murat  knocked  at  the  door,  and  asked 
if  we  would  give  him  hospitality  for  a  few  minutes 
and  allow  him  to  look  at  that  particular  picture 
of  Horace  Vernet.  Of  course  we  said  "yes>" 
and  after  he  had  gazed  at  it  long  and  earnestly, 
he  told  us  he  always  felt  young  again  when  he 
looked  at  it.  Seeing  our  questioning  astonish- 
ment, he  explained  that  he  himself  was  the  young 
soldier-boy  kneeling  to  the  left  of  the  altar,  hold- 
ing the  bishop's  crozier.  Strange,  that  having  as 
a  child  so  often  looked  at  an  engraving  of  that 
picture,  I  should  have  the  original  constantly 
under  my  eyes  and  know  one  of  the  personages 
represented!  The  officiating  Dominican  bishop 
the  Empress  also  knows  well;  he  it  was  who  gave 
her  the  plain  looking  rosary  she  uses  every  after- 
noon at  five  o'clock.  Talking  of  this  picture,  the 
Empress  told  us  one  day  about  a  review  of  these 
same  Kabyle  soldiers  during  her  tour  in  Algiers, 
and  the  startling  impression  that  it  made  upon 
her  when  the  men  of  the  whole  regiment  rushed 
up  the  hill  on  which  she  stood  and  suddenly  pros- 
trated themselves  before  her. 

36 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  2,  1886. 
Mme.  Le  Breton,  M.  Pietri  and  I  dined  alone 
yesterday  evening,  as  the  Empress  had  a  bad 
cold  and  did  not  leave  her  own  sitting-room,  and 
after  dinner  we  joined  her  there  instead  of  going 
to  the  drawing-room  as  usual.  M.  Pietri  read 
aloud  while  we  were  working.  The  Empress, 
who  is  usually  so  industrious,  could  only  listen, 
so  overpowered  was  she  with  the  grippe. 

There  is  one  important  room  I  have  not  yet 
described,  namely  the  salon  de  travail  de  Vlm- 
peratrice.  Descriptions  of  other  parts  of  the 
house  I  quoted  from  letters  or  from  notes  taken  at 
the  time,  but  this  room  was  overlooked,  and 
though  now  retaining  a  very  vivid  recollection  of 
it  as  a  whole,  I  cannot  be  sure  of  remembering 
all  the  things  in  it.  I  sat  in  that  room  for  the 
last  time  in  1889,  the  day  my  husband  and  I 
lunched  at  Farnborough  Hill  on  our  wedding 
tour.  One  then  entered  the  room  from  the  gal- 
lery on  the  left.  In  the  center  was  a  large  library 
table,  and  the  Empress  generally  sat  at  this  when 
not  using  a  low  wicker  chair  on  the  right  of  the 
fireplace  writing  on  a  buvard  resting  on  her  knees, 

37 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

which  was  a  favorite  way  with  her.  This  central 
writing-table  had  on  it  all  the  necessary  para- 
phernalia for  the  Empress's  immense  correspon- 
dence, besides  several  portraits — one  of  her  son, 
and  a  miniature  of  her  father,  Don  Cipriano,  then 
Conde  de  Teba,  and  later  on  Conde  de  Monti  jo. 
This  miniature  shows  a  very  fine  face,  rather 
spoiled  by  having  a  large  black  patch  covering 
one  eye.  Together  with  this  eye  he  had  lost  also 
a  leg  in  the  battle  of  Salamanca,  fighting  for 
Napoleon  I. 

On  other  tables  were  numberless  photographs 
of  different  royalties  and  friends.  The  English 
dynasty  was  well  represented,  and  nearly  all  the 
portraits  had  autograph  signatures. 

Opposite  was  a  mullioned  window,  which 
looked  out  over  a  terrace.  All  around  the  room 
were  low  book-shelves  about  breast-high,  contain- 
ing many  of  Her  Imperial  Majesty's  favorite 
books,  saved  from  the  Tuileries.  These  volumes 
were  very  beautifully  bound  and  many  of  them 
had  the  Empress's  chiffre  on  them.  On  the  top 
of  the  shelves  were  several  bronzes  and  interesting 
ornaments.  Turning  one's  back  to  the  fireplace 
— on  the  right  wall  hung  a  life-size  portrait  of  the 

38 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

Emperor  in  court  dress,  with  his  legion  d'honneur 
ribbon.  I  think  the  painting  is  by  Cabanel,  and 
I  have  heard  from  friends  who  knew  His  Im- 
perial Majesty  intimately,  that  it  was  extremely 
like  him.  On  the  opposite  wall  were  several 
modern  pictures,  one  of  which  is  particularly 
striking — a  painting  of  an  extremely  graceful 
Eastern  woman  at  a  well.  Next  to  it  came  a 
large  bay-window  with  tiled  jardinieres  con- 
stantly replenished  from  the  hothouses  with  ex- 
otic flowers,  which  gave  forth  a  delicious  perfume. 
Here  were  placed  two  or  three  wicker  easy-chairs, 
in  which  the  Empress  used  to  be  very  fond  of 
taking  a  sun  bath,  whenever  the  stingy  English 
Sun-god  permitted.  Here  also  grew  some  pam- 
pas-grass brought  by  the  Empress  from  Zulu- 
land,  and  which  formed  a  kind  of  screen  in  front 
of  the  windows.  The  whole  character  of  the 
room  was  one  of  luxurious  comfort,  joined  with 
daintiness  and  good  taste  of  arrangement.  Be- 
yond the  bay  was  another  door,  which  opened 
into  the  cabinet  de  travail,  a  sort  of  inner  sanctu- 
ary, her  workshop  so  to  speak,  where  she  kept 
her  embroidery  and  silks,  and  the  frame  for  her 
larger  pieces  of  work.     Here,  too,  were  more 

39 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

books,  principally  for  reference,  and  at  one  end 
of  the  room  a  large  mirror,  which  hid  the  safe 
containing  all  the  important  documents  referred 
to  in  one  of  my  letters. 

There  was  nothing  else  worthy  of  notice  in 
this  room,  except  a  small  picture,  on  the  table,  of 
Marie  Antoinette  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  This 
portrait,  I  know  the  Empress  Valued  highly. 
The  first  day  she  showed  it  to  me,  she  drew  my 
attention  to  the  fact,  that  the  little  arch-duchess 
seemingly  pointed  at  a  thin  red  line  around  her 
neck,  namely  a  narrow  ribbon,  in  accordance 
with  the  fashion  of  those  days.  The  Empress 
seemed  to  consider  this  almost  prophetic.  More- 
over, in  connection  with  Marie  Antoinette,  the 
Empress  invariably  drew  a  parallel  between 
that  ill-fated  queen  and  herself.  She  told  us 
one  day  about  her  visiting  Marie  Antoinette's 
prison  cell,  incognita,  on  a  certain  Palm  Sun- 
day during  the  Empire.  To  avoid  crowds  and 
recognition,  she  passed  herself  off  with  her  ladies 
as  a  party  of  English  tourists,  she  herself  be- 
ing thickly  veiled.  The  Empress  said  she  was 
about  the  same  height  as  Marie  Antoinette,  and 
though  she  had  heard  how  the  queen  had  knocked 

40 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

her  head  as  she  entered  the  low-ceiled  prison, 
and  the  scornful  "Baisse-toi  fiere  Autrichienne !" 
from  the  jailer,  in  the  painful  interest  of  the  mo- 
ment she  forgot,  and  on  entering  the  cell  met  with 
the  very  same  accident  herself.  This  impressed 
the  Empress  very  unpleasantly,  and  she  was  so 
overcome  for  a  minute  or  two  that  the  custodian 
who  was  showing  the  party  over  the  prison  no- 
ticed it  and  said  to  the  other  ladies,  "Vraiment, 
cette  dame  est  bien-emotionee  [Truly,  that  lady 
is  greatly  moved]  !"  During  the  twenty  years  of 
her  reign,  she  often  had  the  presentiment  that 
she  would  die  by  the  guillotine.  The  more  en- 
thusiastic the  people  the  more  she  expected  sud- 
den changes  in  the  affections  of  the  mercurial 
French. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  2,  1886. 
Her  Majesty  has  been  busy  today  planning  a 
sort  of  museum  she  intends  building  near  the 
coach-house  for  the  reception  of  a  number  of 
beautiful  things,  far  too  many  for  the  house 
proper,  already  well  stocked — and  these  things 
are  too  interesting  to  be  kept  in  obscurity. 

There  are  some  pictures  by  Gudin  awaiting  a 
41 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

suitable  resting-place;  these  have  never  been  un- 
rolled since  they  came  over  from  Paris.1  Then, 
also,  a  grand  piano  most  beautifully  inlaid  with 
ormolu  work,  a  gift  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
and  several  glass  cases  filled  to  overflowing  with 
precious  souvenirs  of  all  kinds.  The  gala  car- 
riages, at  present  in  the  coach-house,  are  also  to 
be  removed  to  the  museum.  These  are  really 
magnificent.  So  sorry  H.  did  not  see  them  when 
she  was  here,  for  I  am  certain  she  never  has,  nor 
will  again  have  the  opportunity  to  gaze  on  the 
like.  There  is  the  coach  the  Empress  drove  in 
to  be  married — lined  most  beautifully  with  white 
satin  and  large  enough  for  six  or  eight  people; 
another  carriage  built  either  for  her  coronation 
or  the  baptismal  ceremonial  of  the  little  Prince 
Imperial,  and  which  is  much  more  splendid  even 
than  the  first,  both  interiorly  and  exteriorly. 
The  hangings  of  the  coachman's  seat  (or  ham- 
mercloth,  as  they  are  called  I  think)  are  of  crim- 
son velvet,  most  splendidly  embroidered  in  solid 
gold  and  embossed  with  pearls  and  precious 
stones.  The  Bonaparte  family  arms  and  eagles 
represent  a  magnificent  piece  of  work.  This  one 
carriage  alone  cost,  I  was  told,  over  4000  pounds. 
The  first  time  I  visited  the  coach-house  with 
M.  and  A.  as  guides,  the  head-coachman  invited 

i  The  Empress  told  us  about  some  of  her  pictures  which  on  ar- 
rival were  found  to  be  jabbed  through  and  through  by  a  bayonet 
or  sharp  knife — the  work  of  some  malevolent  person. 

42 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

us  to  get  into  the  wedding  coach  and  sit  down 
in  the  Empress's  place  a  moment,  telling  us  we 
were  the  first  and  only  persons  who  had  ever  en- 
tered that  carriage  since  it  had  been  in  his  keep- 
ing. I  pictured  to  myself  how  the  Empress's 
heart  must  have  throbbed  with  excitement,  satis- 
fied ambition,  and  wondering  doubts  of  the  fu- 
ture, when  she  first  took  her  place  there !  Besides 
these  two  gala  carriages,  there  is  the  Emperor's 
favorite  brougham  (the  landau,  victoria  and 
brougham  in  daily  use  here  now  also  came  from 
the  Tuileries) ;  a  sweet  little  goat  carriage  sent 
to  the  Prince  Imperial  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey 
and  one  other  of  his  babyhood  vehicles;  a  very 
pretty  sleigh,  given  by  the  Empress  of  Russia; 
and  the  trappings  of  the  horses  on  state  occasions, 
— oh!  how  we  pitied  the  eight  poor  beasts  who 
had  to  carry  all  that  weight !  It  was  as  much  as 
we  could  do  to  lift  one  of  the  collar  pieces  with 
both  hands.  Hanging  up  in  the  coach-house 
were  also  the  saddle  and  bridle  of  the  little  horse 
the  Prince  rode,  as  a  boy  of  fifteen,  at  the  battle 
of  Sedan  (his  baptism  of  fire) ,  a  number  of  other 
saddles,  riding  whips  and  pistols,  and  a  great 
many  more  things  than  I  can  enumerate,  which 
were  most  interesting  to  see  and  handle  as  I  did 
that  day. 


43 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

THE   HOUSEHOLD  AND   ENTOURAGE 

From  my  diary: 

Mme.  Poussin,  or  Marie,  as  the  Empress  used 
to  call  her,  was  the  name  of  the  housekeeper. 
Her  husband  was  the  Empress's  favorite  servant, 
and  had  been  in  the  French  army.  He  knew 
where  everything  of  the  Empress's  was,  and  was 
constantly  called  upon  to  fetch  things  she  wanted, 
and  to  do  little  errands.  He  was  most  devoted 
to  his  imperial  mistress.  Roulet  was  the  name 
of  another  of  the  men,  whom  we  used  to  find  in 
the  early  morning  sliding  busily  up  and  down  the 
gallery,  polishing  the  floor  with  the  brushes 
strapped  to  his  feet,  and  humming  gaily  to  him- 
self. A  special  man  was  kept  for  cleaning  silver, 
and  his  office  was  no  sinecure.  The  men-serv- 
ants, as  is  usual  in  France,  took  entire  care  of  all 
the  sitting-rooms;  the  five  housemaids  officiating 
only  on  the  bedroom  floors. 

In  the  kitchen  there  was  a  chef  and  one  aide. 
They  must  have  been  wonderfully  industrious 
men,  for  they  had  to  prepare  all  the  meals  for 
both  tables,  and  at  one  time  we  sat  down  daily 
as  many  as  twenty  for  lunch  and  dinner,  and 
there  were  twenty-five  house  servants  and  visit- 
ing maids  and  valets  to  be  fed  besides.1     I  often 

i  The  two  coachmen  lived  in  picturesque  little  cottages  on  the 
estate  or  in  the  village  of  Farnborough;  one,  a  burly  and  rather 

44 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

wondered  how  these  two  men  could  achieve  all 
the  work  this  implied,  for  they  had  little  assist- 
ance. 

The  kitchen  was  a  marvel.  Several  times  I 
went  through  it  with  Mme.  Le  Breton,  when  she 
was  ordering  dinner,  and  it  hardly  seemed  pos- 
sible to  believe  that  work  was  going  on  in  the 
place,  all  was  in  such  perfect  order.  The  nu- 
merous pots,  for  instance,  all  hanging  in  their 
respective  places  looking  like  burnished  gold. 
One  end  of  the  huge  central  table  was  used  as  a 
chopping  board,  the  other  end  covered  with  a 
spotless  linen  cloth,  on  which  the  many  carving 
knives  were  arranged  with  exquisite  neatness, 
like  a  surgeon's  table. 

All  the  practical  working  details  of  the  es- 
tablishment, management  of  servants,  care  of 
linen  and  furniture,  etc.,  were  attended  to  by 
Mme.  Poussin,  supervised  by  Mme.  Le  Breton. 
The  latter,  however,  herself  ordered  all  the  din- 
ners; at  least,  she  went  into  the  kitchen  every 
morning  to  confer  with  the  chef  concerning  the 
two  menus,  previously  prepared. 

I  personally  never  heard  the  Empress,  particu- 
lar as  she  was,  find  fault  with  anything  but  the 
chickens.  She  would  say  occasionally,  regret- 
surly  Englishman,  the  other  a  little  wiry  man  who  had  been  in  a 
cavalry  regiment  and  I  think  was  the  Prince's  orderly  in  Zululand. 
Several  grooms,  gardeners  and  laundry  people — quite  a  colony  in 
all — occupied  similar  cottages. 

45 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

fully  comparing  a  Farnborough  to  some  French 
chicken:  "Oh,  Mme.  Le  Breton,  parlez  done  au 
chef — cii  sent  le  poulailler  [Oh,  Mme.  Le  Breton 
do  speak  to  the  chef;  this  savors  of  the  coop]!" 

UOffice  corresponded  in  some  measure  with 
the  English  still-room.  Here  of  a  morning  the 
under-butler  made  delicate  little  cakes  in  paper 
cases,  delicious  fondants,  marrons-glaces  and 
crystallized  fruits  (fresh  currants  and  other  acid 
fruits  dipped  into  boiling  sugar),  and  prepared 
the  butter  in  various  ingenious  shapes  for  the 
table.  He  had  many  other  duties  and  was  al- 
ways cheerful  and  obliging.  He  took  charge  of 
the  mail  and  telegrams.  He  also  kept  time- 
tables, and  looked  up  trains  in  brain-racking 
Bradshaws,  which,  together  with  his  executive 
ability  and  very  quiet  composed  manner,  made 
him  an  invaluable  servant  to  the  Empress,  espe- 
cially when  traveling. 

The  servants'  hall  was  a  large,  pleasant  room, 
opening  with  long  French  windows  on  to  the 
entrance  courtyard.  It  was  simply  and  comfort- 
ably furnished.  Here  the  special  valet  de  service 
of  the  week  and  Poussin,  who  was  always  de 
service,  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  admit  vis- 
itors or  to  be  summoned  by  the  Empress.  There 
was  a  central  table  with  books,  newspapers  and 
periodicals  of  the  day;  on  the  walls  were  several 
large  paintings  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 

46 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

There  was  a  library  for  the  servants  containing 
a  good  selection  of  standard  French  and  English 
books.  Poussin  or  Uhlmann,  I  forget  which, 
was  the  librarian. 

The  Empress  with  her  usual  executive  good 
sense,  never  allowed  her  cooks  and  coachmen  to 
be  idle  during  her  prolonged  yearly  absences 
from  home.  They  were  always  given  a  good  holi- 
day first  and  then  put  on  board  wages;  but  their 
mistress  insisted  on  their  taking  other  places  for 
the  balance  of  her  time  abroad.  She  knew  with 
accuracy  in  what  houses  the  men  took  service, 
and  saw  to  it  that  they  remained  there. 

Schmidt,  an  Alsatian,  the  old  maitre  d'hotel 
at  Farnborough,  whose  duties  on  account  of  in- 
firmity and  old  age  had  become  almost  nominal, 
was  a  tall,  fine  old  man,  stooping  slightly,  and 
with  his  white  hair  and  kindly  beaming  eye  pleas- 
ant to  look  upon.  He  had  been  in  the  service 
of  the  Tuileries,  and  as  soon  as  the  Empress  set- 
tled at  Camden  Place  came  at  once,  with  several 
other  of  the  domestics,  to  tender  his  services. 
When  telling  me  about  it  one  day,  the  Empress 
said  how  much  this  devotion  touched  her,  in  that 
hour  of  general  abandonment  and  betrayal.  She 
said  these  servants  had  nothing  to  gain  by  com- 
ing, offered  to  work  for  lower  wages  than  they 
had  been  accustomed  to,  and  several  of  them 
moreover  had  left  their  own  families,  besides  the 

47 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

pleasanter  life  in  France,  to  settle  in  an  abso- 
lutely dull  English  village.  Schmidt  was  tre- 
mendously attached  to  the  imperial  family.  He 
could  not  control  himself  when  he  heard  them 
spoken  of  without  respect,  with  the  consequence 
that  he  got  into  many  scrapes  in  the  old  days. 

In  the  last  months  of  the  Empire,  when  public 
feeling  was  very  strong  against  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  this  was  a  frequent  occurrence.  She 
told  us  of  one  particular  episode,  which  all  but 
proved  fatal  to  this  bravely  pugnacious  servant. 
He  heard  a  man  in  the  crowd  running  down  the 
Emperor.  Schmidt  reasoned  quietly  with  him 
but  without  avail,  for  he  got  more  abusive  and 
violent,  and  attacked  Schmidt,  who  excitedly  de- 
fended himself.  The  crowd  then  took  up  the 
quarrel,  and  went  howling  after  Schmidt,  appar- 
ently ready  to  take  his  life.  He  fled,  bleeding 
and  dazed,  into  the  first  house  of  which  he  found 
the  door  open,  made  his  way  upstairs,  and  sud- 
denly appeared,  breathless,  in  the  bedroom  of  a 
lady.  "Madame,  hide  me,"  was  all  he  had  time 
to  say.  With  great  presence  of  mind  this  lady 
took  in  the  situation  and  pushed  him  into  an 
armoire  a  robes.  A  minute  later  the  crowd  came 
surging  in  and  demanded  that  he  should  be  given 
up  to  them.  The  lady's  feigned  astonishment 
and  ignorance,  combined  with  her  coolness  and 
polite  invitation  to  look  for  themselves,  put  the 

48 


Elliot  &  Fry 


THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

crowd  off  the  scent  and  Schmidt's  life  was  saved. 
He  had  already  been  very  much  knocked  about 
though,  was  quite  ill  for  a  long  time  in  conse- 
quence, and  the  Empress  declared  had  never  been 
the  same  again  since  that  day. 

Uhlmann,  another  Alsatian,  filled  the  position" 
of  steward,  paid  all  the  wages,  the  tradespeople, 
and  the  farm  bills,  attended  to  repairs,  etc.  He 
was  directly  under  the  orders  of  M.  Pietri,  who 
supervised  his  work,  reports  and  accounts,  before 
submitting  them  at  stated  times  to  the  Empress. 
Uhlmann  had  been  valet  and  body-servant  to  the 
Prince  Imperial.  He  was  a  great  big  man,  very 
serious,  reliable,  and  invaluable  in  every  way.  I 
had  several  talks  with  him  about  the  Prince,  to 
whom  he  had  been  extremely  devoted,  and  whose 
death  was  a  blow  which  he  could  not  get  over. 
Uhlmann  had  been  with  him  nearly  all  his  life, 
at  Chislehurst  and  at  Woolwich,  where  the  Prince 
was  following  his  military  training.  He  also 
went  out  to  Zululand,  and  was  with  his  young 
master  till  the  very  eve  of  his  death.  He  was  a 
most  excellent  person  for  any  young  man  to  have 
near  him — perfectly  straightforward,  sincere  and 
earnest. 

I  never  heard  any  one  say  a  disparaging  word 
of  the  Prince  all  the  time  I  was  at  Farnborough, 
though  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  M.  Pietri  could  at 
times  speak  out  very  frankly  about  any  one.     He 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

seems  by  common  consensus  of  opinion  to  have 
been  a  wonderfully  fine  young  fellow.     Those 
who  had  only  known  him  slightly  were  as  loud 
in  his  praises,  as  those  others  who  knew  him  more 
intimately.     Uhlmann,  who  had  had  the  greatest 
possible  facilities  for  observation,  spoke  of  him 
in  glowing  terms,  and  this  means  a  good  deal, 
for  there  are  few  exceptions,  I  believe,  to  the  dic- 
tum, that  "no  one  is  a  hero  to  his  valet."     From 
all  Uhlmann  said,  with  what  I  had  already  gath- 
ered from  others,  and  they  had  all  been  friends 
of  his  childhood,  I  could  reach  only  one  verdict 
about  him — that  he  was  deeply  and  truly  good.1 
His  chief  characteristic  seems  to  have  been  his 
wonderful   truth   of   mind.     He   had   a   noble, 
straightforward  nature,  shunning  pretense  of  all 
kind,  and  was  deeply  religious  and  spiritual- 
minded.     He  was  beloved  and  looked  up  to  by 
all  his  classmates  at  Woolwich,  by  all  the  serv- 
ants, by  everybody  in  fact  who  had  ever  known 
and  come  in  contact  with  him.     The  English  sol- 
diers out  in  Zululand  worshipped  him,  Uhlmann 
said,  and  no  wonder,  for  besides  his  chivalrous 
and  brave  qualities,  the  Prince  was  always  simple 
and  generous,  and  shared  everything  with  his 
comrades.     When  hampers  of  luxuries,  in  the 

1 1  got  the  same  impression  f rom ,  Monsignor  Goddard  of  Chisle- 
hurst,  and  his  friend  the  old  Abb£  Toursel  of  the  "French  Chapel" 
(the  old  historic  Embassy  Chapel)  in  London,  the  last  outsider 
to  see  and  talk  with  him  before  he  sailed  for  Natal. 

50 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

shape  of  food  and  other  things,  reached  him  from 
his  mother,  he  insisted  on  dividing  up  with  the 
men,  in  spite  of  protest  from  those  in  authority, 
who  thought  he  needed  the  extra  food  himself,  as 
he  was  not  very  rugged. 

Uhlmann  also  told  me  that  one  of  his  most 
striking  characteristics  was  absolute  fearless  and 
unashamed  recognition  of  his  religion.  Even  in 
Woolwich  days  and  camp  life,  and  up  to  the  very 
last  night  before  starting  on  that  fatal  reconnais- 
sance trip,  he  never  missed  saying  his  evening 
prayers  aloud.  He  would  call  Uhlmann  into  his 
room  and  the  two  would  kneel  down  together  by 
the  side  of  the  bed,  just  as  they  had  done  always 
when  the  Prince  was  a  little  child.  He  never  let 
anything  interfere  with  his  devotional  duty. 

A  mortuary  card,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation,  was  given  by  the  Empress  to  her 
niece  M.,  who  made  it  over  to  me : 

MORTUARY    CARD    OF    THE    PRINCE    IMPERIAL 

My  last  thought  will  be  for  my  Country;  for  her  I 
would  gladly  give  my  life.      [Extract  from  his  will]. 

NAPOLEON 
Prince  Imperial 

Born  at  the  Tuileries  March  16, 1856. 
Killed  by  the  enemy  in  Zululand,  June  1, 1879. 

51 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

This  Prince  born  to  a  throne,  had  a  mind  and  heart 
even  higher  than  his  birth.  The  misfortunes  of  his 
house  during  his  boyhood  were  unable  to  crush  him,  and 
from  then  on  he  showed  much  dignity,  which  owed  noth- 
ing to  good  fortune.  If  he  gained  distinction  from  his 
rank  he  gained  still  more  by  his  merit.  [Bossuet  — 
Oraison  Funebre.] 


He  acted  courageously;  fearing  nothing,  he  did  not 
fear  the  enemy.     [II  Pascal  XXXII:  7]. 


He  died  leaving  to  all  an  admirable  example  of  faith 
and  strength.      [Adaptation  II  Maccabees  VI:31]. 


Merciful  Jesus,  give  him  eternal  rest ! 


Pray  for  the  father  and  the  son  whom  death  has 
reunited. 

On  the  back  of  the  mortuary  card  is  a  prayer 
which,  written  out  in  his  own  handwriting,  was 
found  in  his  prayer  book  by  the  Empress  after 
his  death.  It  gives  an  insight  into  the  deeply 
spiritual  aspirations  of  the  young  soldier-prince. 
A  translation  follows : 

My  God,  I  give  you  my  heart,  but  I  beg  You  to  give 
me  Faith.  Without  faith  there  can  be  no  ardent 
prayers,  and  prayer  is  a  necessity  of  my  soul. 

I  beg  You  not  to  remove  the  obstacles  that  traverse 
52 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

my  life,  but  to  permit  me  to  overcome  them.  I  beg  of 
You — not  that  you  may  disarm  my  enemies  but  that 
you  may  help  me  to  vanquish  my  own  self.  Deign,  O 
God,  to  grant  my  prayers. 

Preserve  to  my  affection  those  who  are  dear  to  me. 
Grant  them  happy  days.  If  You  only  wish  to  scatter 
over  this  world  a  certain  measure  of  joy — take,  0  My 
God,  the  sum  which  would  come  to  me,  divide  it  up 
among  the  most  worthy  and  may  the  most  worthy  be 
my  friends. 

If  You  wish  to  chastise  mankind — strike  me.  Mis- 
fortune is  turned  into  joy  by  the  sweet  thought  that 
those  we  love  are  happy. 

Joy  is  poisoned  by  the  bitter  thought:  I  myself  re- 
joiced, while  those  whom  I  cherish  a  thousand  times 
more  than  myself  are  suffering. 

For  me,  O  God,  no  more  happiness.  I  fly  from  it — 
take  it  from  my  path.  My  only  joy  is  to  be  found  in 
forgetfulness  of  the  past. 

If  I  forget  those  who  are  no  more,  I  shall  be  forgotten 
in  my  turn.  How  sad  it  is  to  think :  Time  effaces  every- 
thing! The  only  comfort  I  seek  is  that  which  will 
last  forever:  that  given  by  a  peaceful  conscience.  O 
my  God,  show  me  ever  plainly  where  my  duty  lies — 
give  me  the  strength  to  carry  it  out  on  all  occasions. 
When  comes  the  end  of  my  life  I  shall  then  be  able  to 
look  back  over  the  past  without  fear.  My  memories  will 
have  no  remorse  in  them.     Then  I  shall  be  truly  happy. 

O  my  God,  make  the  conviction  sink  deep  into  my 
heart,  that  those  I  love  and  who  are  dead  are  the  wit- 
nesses of  all  my  actions.  My  life  will  then  be  worthy 
to  be  seen  by  them,  and  I  will  never  need  to  blush  at  the 
most  secret  of  my  thoughts. 

53 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Maria  and  Antonia  de  Vejerano,  though  al- 
ways called  the  Empress's  nieces — but  only  so 
by  courtesy  because  of  the  great  disparity  in  ages 
— were  in  reality  her  cousins.  I  think  they  had 
a  great  grandmother  (a  Cabarus)  in  common. 
In  any  case,  the  girls  and  the  Empress  were  all 
cousins  of  M.  de  Lesseps.  They  were  pleasant, 
healthy-minded  girls,  affectionate  and  with  nice 
dispositions,  and  accustomed  to  think  of  others 
first  and  themselves  afterward. 

Two  years  after  their  visit  to  the  Empress,  Ma- 
ria married  Paco  de  Ansaldo,  and  at  their  mar- 
riage her  uncle  gave  her  one  of  the  numerous  titles 
which  he  owned.  They  are  now  Count  and 
Countess  de  San  Enrique.  Her  husband  occu- 
pies some  position  at  the  court  of  King  Alfonso 
XIII,  and  she  helps  him  in  his  literary  work. 
She  has  now,  I  hear  from  her  sister,  several  very 
beautiful  children.  Antonia  a  little  later  mar- 
ried Luis  de  Casanova.  After  a  blissfully  happy 
six  months,  he  died,  leaving  her  a  widow  at  eight- 
een. She  spent  much  time  afterward  at  Farn- 
borough  and  traveled  with  the  Empress,  who  was 
very  fond  of  her. 

From  my  diary: 

First  and  foremost  among  the  few  faithful  ad- 
54 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

herents  of  the  Empress,  must  be  named  the  Due 
de  Bassano,  Napoleon  Hugues  Joseph  Maret, 
son  of  Hugues  Bernard  Maret,  first  duke  of  the 
name,  whose  title  was  created  by  Napoleon  I. 
He  inherited  from  his  birth  in  1804  *  traditions 
of  devotion  to  the  Bonaparte  family,  which  were 
furthered  by  having  Napoleon  and  the  Empress 
Josephine  for  his  godparents,  and  the  little  Roi 
de  Rome  for  playmate ;  and  these  traditions  were 
loyally  maintained  all  his  long  life.  The  Em- 
press had  no  truer  friend  than  he  in  her  hours  of 
need.  While  others  were  leaving  her  to  her  fate 
he  bravely  spoke  in  her  behalf  before  the  Cham- 
bre  des  Deputes,  trying  vainly  to  turn  the  torrent 
of  anger  away  from  her,  or  at  least  to  obtain  aid 
from  the  provisional  government  for  her  protec- 
tion against  the  furious  rabble.  When  her  flight 
was  un  fait  accompli,  and  she  had  landed  penni- 
less in  England,  without  a  single,  belonging  but  a 
few  absolute  necessaries  hastily  gathered  to- 
gether, and  lent  her  by  Mrs.  Evans  and  Lady 
Burgoyne,  the  duke  followed  her  almost  imme- 
diately with  only  a  carpet-bag  (so  the  Empress 
told  us) ,  saying  simply  on  arriving,  "Madame  me 
voici,"  and  begging  to  be  allowed  to  give  her  his 
services.  She  said  he  did  it  with  so  much  cheer- 
ful grace,  that  she  had  not  the  heart  to  refuse 

iMany  authorities  say  1803;  he  himself  gave  the  date  as  1804. 
He  died  in  Paris  in  1898. 

55 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

his  request,  though  she  really  had  no  means  of 
maintaining  a  household. 

When  Napoleon  III  died  in  January  1873, 
the  widowed  Eugenie  offered  the  duke  his  free- 
dom to  return  to  France  and  his  family,  from 
whom  he  had  voluntarily  separated  himself  in 
spite  of  his  deepest  affection  for  them.  But  he 
would  not  accept  it  and  stayed  on,  unvaryingly 
cheerful,  thoughtful  and  unselfish,  with  a  quiet 
dignity  that  made  you  feel  what  a  thorough  gen- 
tleman he  was.  Again,  after  the  Prince's  death, 
the  Empress  gave  him  the  chance  of  leaving  her 
household,  pointing  out  that  conditions  had 
changed  and  that  there  was  no  longer  any  reason 
for  him  to  stay.  But  he  again  refused,  and  an- 
swered: "No,  on  the  contrary  Madame,  now 
that  you  are  entirely  alone  you  need  me  all  the 
more." 

The  Duke  has  left  a  delightful  picture  of  him- 
self in  my  memory  as  he  was  in  1886.  A  tall, 
handsome,  dignified  old  man,  with  beautiful  white 
hair;  courteous  to  all,  and  with  an  especially 
chivalrous  feeling  toward  women — the  very  type 
of  the  grand  seigneur  and  preux  chevalier  of  old, 
that  one  reads  about  but  meets  so  rarely. 

Mme.  Le  Breton  was  a  widow  of  long  stand- 
ing, with  several  married  sons  and  daughters, 
and  was  formerly  one  of  the  lectrices  at  the  Tuil- 
eries ;  and,  alone  of  all  the  women  in  France,  she 

56 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

did  not  abandon  the  Empress,  but  accompanied 
her  bravely  on  that  eventful  journey  on  the  fifth 
of  September  when  they  fled  from  Paris.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  short  periods  of  absence 
for  little  holidays,  she  never  left  her  imperial 
mistress'  side  through  all  those  years.  She  was 
a  most  faithful  friend,  tried  patiently  to  help  and 
comfort  the  Empress  and  to  make  everything  run 
smoothly,  and  this  when  Ma  Souveraine,  as  she 
playfully  called  the  Empress  in  speaking  of  her, 
was  in  such  a  state  of  nerves  that  she  was  often 
irritable  and  difficult  to  please. 

Mme.  Le  Breton  was  most  capable  and  super- 
vised the  household  wonderfully.  Everything 
was  the  pink  of  perfection  with  nowhere  visible 
any  hurry  or  fuss.  She  did  not  at  all  relish  it, 
therefore,  when  the  Empress  on  rare  occasions 
made  some  criticism.  It  used  rather  to  upset  her 
equanimity  and  the  Empress  often  rallied  her 
about  her  sensitiveness.  In  my  peregrinations 
on  some  mornings  through  the  kitchen  with  her, 
I  noticed  that  she  kept  the  household  rather  in 
awe  of  her.  This  was  really  necessary,  for  she 
felt  herself,  and  was  ultimately,  held  responsible. 
Her  position  was  a  delicate  one,  but,  considering 
the  difficulties,  she  acquitted  herself  well  and 
remained  unusually  cheerful.  Always  kind- 
hearted,  a  warm,  enthusiastic  friend,  she  de- 
lighted to  welcome  anybody  who  would  bring  a 

57 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

little  change  into  the  Farnborough  milieu,  since 
life  for  its  members,  who  knew  all  the  interesting 
things  by  heart  and  had  no  further  stimulus  of 
curiosity,  was  often  monotonous  in  the  extreme. 
Though  mentally  bright,  Mme.  Le  Breton  cared 
not  a  pin  for  scientific  talk,  which  fact  often  an- 
noyed the  Empress.  What  Mme.  Le  Breton 
loved  was  social  chit-chat,  and  in  consequence  she 
thoroughly  enjoyed  her  rare  holidays,  which  put 
her  in  touch  with  her  family  and  the  old  friends 
of  the  past,  who  flocked  round  her  on  her  arrival 
in  Paris,  where  she  was  a  great  favorite.  Only 
duty  and  true  affection  had  kept  her  near  her 
mistress  through  those  long  years  of  dullness,  for 
society  was  the  breath  of  life  to  her.1 

Mme.  de  Arcos,  who  has  been  almost  a  lifelong 
friend  of  the  Empress,  was  a  Miss  Vaughan. 
Her  father  had  been  an  English  consul  in  one  of 
the  southern  towns  of  Spain,  and  she  and  the 
Empress  made  each  other's  acquaintance  many, 
many  years  ago  in  rather  a  strange  way.  This  is 
the  story  the  Empress  told  us  one  evening,  while 
walking  up  and  down  the  gallery,  leaning  on  my 
arm  as  she  often  did.  Their  two  mothers,  the 
Countess  Montijo  and  Mrs.  Vaughan,  were  on 

i  She  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  very  much  regretted  by  the 
Empress  and  all  her  friends.  In  a  letter  received  from  M.  Pietri, 
March  27,  1901,  he  gives  me  the  details  of  her  last  illness,  and 
thanks  me  de  la  part  de  S.  M.  Vlmpiratrice  for  the  share  that  I 
take  in  sympathizing  with  her  great  loss. 

58 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

board  ship  going  to  England,  where  the  Countess, 
who  was  ambitious  for  her  beautiful  daughter, 
was  going  to  present  her  to  Queen  Victoria  and 
bring  her  out  in  London  society.  Mrs.  Vaughan 
was  taking  her  daughter  Christine  to  England 
also.  It  was  very  rough  weather,  and  the  two 
elder  ladies  were  down  below.  The  girls  were 
on  deck,  but  did  not  know  each  other  then.  It 
got  more  and  more  stormy,  and  Eugenie  Mon- 
ti jo,  violently  sick,  rushed  to  the  side.  The  rail 
was  quite  low,  and  the  seasick  girl  in  such  a  state 
of  indifference  that  she  did  not  care  whether  she 
went  overboard  or  not.  Presently,  she  felt  two 
arms  put  firmly  around  her  waist  with  hands 
clasped  in  front,  and  she  was  dragged  away. 
Struggling  and  indignant,  she  cried:  "Leave 
me  alone."  Looking  up,  she  saw  a  girl  a  good 
deal  younger  than  herself,  who  spoke  to  her  in 
English  and  told  her  that  she  was  in  a  dangerous 
position,  and  helped  her  to  a  more  comfortable 
place.  The  Countess  Monti  jo,  when  she  heard 
later  how  her  daughter  had  been  rescued  from  a 
rather  perilous  position,  sought  out  Mrs. 
Vaughan,  to  thank  her.  Thus  the  parents  be- 
came acquainted,  and  a  lifelong  friendship  be- 
tween the  daughters  resulted. 

Queen  Victoria  told  the  Empress  on  one  of  her 
visits  to  Windsor,  that  she  well  remembered  her 
presentation  that  season  as  a  young  girl,  and  the 

59 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

impression  made  on  her  at  the  time.  It  was  a 
semi-private  audience,  preceding  a  fancy  ball  at 
Buckingham  Palace,  and  the  Queen  told  her 
friend  she  even  recalled  the  costumes  worn  on 
the  occasion.  Eugenie  Monti  jo  was  dressed  as 
a  Spanish  Infanta,  Queen  Victoria  as  Queen 
Anne,  and  the  Prince  Consort  as  William  of  Or- 
ange. 

Naturally  when  Eugenie,  Condesa  de  Teba, 
became  Empress,  Mme.  de  Arcos  always  found 
a  welcome  at  the  Tuileries, — the  friendship  was 
further  cemented, —  and  she,  in  her  turn,  re- 
mained faithful  to  Her  Imperial  Majesty  all 
through  the  life  of  exile  in  England.  She  is  the 
woman  with  whom  the  Empress  has  been  most  in- 
timate, excepting,  of  course,  Mme.  Le  Breton. 
It  was  Mme.  de  Arcos,  an  intimate  friend  of 
my  aunt's,  who  suggested  my  name  to  the  Em- 
press, and  was  thus  instrumental  in  my  spending 
those  interesting  months  at  Farnborough.  I 
shall  always  feel  a  debt  of  gratitude  toward  her 
for  this  alone. 

One  evening,  walking  up  and  down,  the  Em- 
press talked  of  audiences  and  some  of  her  diffi- 
culties when  first  confronted  with  her  royal  po- 
sition and  was  saying  how  hard  it  had  been  to 
throw  herself  suddenly  into  this  novel  situation 
and  how  much  she  had  had  to  learn.  She  then 
turned  to  me,  laughing  for  a  minute,  and  said: 

60 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

"Well,  you  know,  Mademoiselle,  you  embar- 
rassed me  dreadfully  that  day  I  sent  for  you  to 
come  to  London."  I  expressed  my  surprise. 
"Yes,  you  did  indeed!  I  do  not  know  when  I 
felt  so  embarrassed,  even  in  difficult  situations  at 
the  Tuileries,"  she  added,  and  explained  that  she 
had  thought  it  encumbent  on  her  to  question  me, 
and  though  she  did  not  like  to  risk  hurting  my 
feelings,  yet  felt  she  must  say  something,  for  it 
would  otherwise  have  seemed  foolish  to  have  re- 
quested an  interview.  She  laughed  again,  and 
would  not  at  first  tell  me  why.  "Never  in  your 
life  could  you  guess  the  very  first  question  I  put 
to  Mme.  de  Arcos  about  you.  I  said  to  her, 
'Now,  Zizi,  before  you  tell  me  anything  further 
about  Miss  W.  in  the  first  place — louche  t'elleV  " 
Noticing  Mme.  de  Arcos's  hesitation  and  sur- 
prise, the  Empress  insisted:  "'Well,  Zizi,  you 
must  be  perfectly  sure  about  this  matter,  for  if 
you  cannot  put  my  mind  at  rest  on  this  crucial 
point,  I  won't  have  another  word  said  about  Miss 
W.  coming  here.  Even  were  she  an  angel  from 
heaven  I  would  not,  under  the  circumstances, 
have  her  cross  my  threshold/  " 

The  Empress  added,  sadly:  "J'ai  les  person- 
nes  qui  louchent  en  horreur.  Je  ne  puis  me 
defaire  de  l'idee  que  l'ceil  qui  louche,  accompagne 
aussi  un  esprit  qui  louche,  et  le  malheur  m'est 
tou jours  venu  quand  j'ai  ete  en  relations  avec 

61 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

une  personne  qui  louchait." 1  She  then  men- 
tioned Trochu  and  Bazaine,  as  squinting  men,  and 
expressed  her  special  and  intuitive  dislike  of 
Trochu,  who  behaved  so  shamefully  before  the 
fall  of  the  Empire. 

Mme.  de  Arcos's  Belgravia  house  was  always 
put  at  the  Empress's  entire  disposal  for  any 
length  of  time  she  might  wish,  for  either  lunch  or 
for  resting,  whenever  she  went  up  to  town  for 
shopping  or  for  visits  to  the  doctors. 

Dr.  Frederick  B.  Scott,  a  surgeon-major  in  the 
English  army  at  Aldershot,  was  a  constant 
visitor  at  Farnborough,  and  the  Empress  was 
very  fond  of  him  in  a  kind  of  grateful  way.  He 
was  an  excellent  surgeon  and  a  most  conscientious 
man,  but  he  was  not  brilliant,  nor  a  good  con- 
versationalist. On  any  amiable  pretext  he  could 
invent  he  came  over  to  Farnborough — nearly 
every  afternoon  saw  him  walking  or  riding  up 
the  avenue.  He  had  known  and  been  devoted  to 
the  Prince  Imperial,  and  accompanied  him  to  Zu- 
luland,  where  he  was  supposed  in  an  unofficial 
way,  but  more  as  a  friend,  to  be  in  charge  of  the 
young  man's  health.  He  it  was  who  went  out 
to  search  for  and  finally  found  the  Prince's  mu- 
tilated body  the  day  after  the  boy  had  been  killed, 

i  "I  have  a  horror  of  people  who  squint.  I  never  can  get  rid  of 
the  idea  that  a  squinting  eye  indicates  also  a  spirit  that  is  not 
straightforward.  Misfortune  has  come  to  me  every  time  I  have 
had  dealings  with  persons  who  squinted." 

62 


FARNBOROUGH  HILL 

and  later  brought  the  corpse  back  to  England  in 
H.  M.  S.  OronteSy1  and  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  funeral.2  Since  that  event  Dr.  Scott  has 
kept  very  much  in  touch  with  the  Empress,  and 
when  she  started  for  Zululand  in  1880  accom- 
panied her,  going  over  the  ground  and  showing 
her  the  places  of  sad  interest  in  the  pathetic 
drama. 

Franceschini  Pietri  is  a  grandson  of  Paoli,  the 
celebrated  Corsican,  and  his  mother  was  a  Sebas- 
tiani,  so  that  according  to  the  Empress  he  is  de- 
scended from  Corsican  patriots  on  both  sides. 
He  had  been  under-secretary  to  the  Emperor  and 
fought  close  beside  him  at  the  battle  of  Sedan, 
afterward  sharing  his  imprisonment  at  Wilhelms- 
hohe.  He  is  very  intelligent,  witty,  has  a  great 
business  capacity,  and  conceals  a  most  excellent 
heart  under  somewhat  brusque  manners.  "II  se 
laisserait  volontiers  tailler  en  morceaux  pour  nous 
[He  would  voluntarily  let  himself  be  cut  to  pieces 
for  us],"  the  Empress  has  often  said  of  him  to 
me,  and  I  am  sure  it  is  true — though  his  constant 
devotion  did  not  prevent  his  seeing  through  his 
imperial  mistress's  little  foibles.  His  attitude  at 
such  times  was  manifested  by  a  characteristic 

i  At  Spithead  the  coffin  was  transferred  to  the  Admiralty  yacht 
Enchantress. 

2  In  the  party  were  also  the  Marquis  de  Bassano,  Sir  Evelyn 
and  Lady  Wood,  and  several  other  ladies  who  lost  relatives  in  the 
Zulu  War. 

63 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

gesture,  an  almost  imperceptible  smile  and  shrug 
of  his  shoulders  while  listening  to  her.  He  had 
lost  all  his  worldly  possessions  when,  in  his  ab- 
sence at  the  front,  the  Tuileries  Palace  was  burnt 
down.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  one 
of  the  most  reliable  people  about  the  Empress. 


64 


PART  II 

DAILY  EVENTS!      FURTHER  EXTRACTS  FROM 
DIARY   AND   LETTERS 

Thursday,  February  18.  This  afternoon  went 
with  the  Empress  to  see  the  Renaissance  Memo- 
rial Church,  which  is  a  building  on  a  neighboring 
hill  in  the  midst  of  pine  woods,  a  few  minutes 
off  from  this  house.  The  upper  church  is  near- 
ing  completion ;  its  crypt,  which  is  really  an  archi- 
tectural gem,  is  quite  finished,  and  Napoleon 
Ill's  polished,  red  granite  sarcophagus  (Queen 
Victoria's  gift,  transported  from  the  Little  Lady 
Chapel  in  St.  Mary's  Church  at  Chislehurst,  with 
many  wreaths  and  national  private  memorials)  is 
in  place  to  the  right  of  a  small  altar.  The  sar- 
cophagus of  the  Prince  Imperial  stands  on  the 
left,  and  a  vacant  place  awaits  the  wife  and 
mother  in  the  center.  The  Empress  told  us  of 
a  rather  strange  coincidence.  Without  knowing 
it,  she  had  selected  haphazard  out  of  a  great 
many  designs  for  the  tessellated  pavement,  the 
very  same  one  which  is,  at  present,  in  the  "In- 
valides"  in  Paris  (where  Napoleon  I  is  buried), 
and  where  her  husband  and  son  would  have  been 

65 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

laid  to  rest  had  not  untoward  events  in  France 
interfered. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
February  20,  1886. 
Yesterday  morning  we  had  a  little  taste  of 
sport.  Her  Majesty  allowed  the  gentlemen  of 
the  neighborhood  to  come  into  her  grounds  with 
the  beagles  for  a  hare  hunt.  The  huntsmen  as- 
sembled and  started  from  the  park  gates,  the  Em- 
press, Mme.  Le  Breton,  M.  Pietri,  the  girls  and 
myself  following,  and  keeping  up  with  them  for 
a  little  while.  After  losing  sight  of  the  sports- 
men for  some  time  in  the  heat  of  the  chase,  we 
found  them  again  on  the  common  near  the  Em- 
press's woods  in  full  tilt  after  the  poor  hare.  We 
had  a  good  deal  of  scrambling  up  and  down  to 
do,  and  were  often  ankle-deep  in  mud,  as  the 
roads  were  very  heavy.  Poor  Mme.  Le  Breton 
was  tired  out  and  was  obliged  to  turn  back  alone, 
but  we  went  on  in  spite  of  all,  over  stiles  and 
through  gaps  in  the  hedges ;  the  Empress  was  de- 
lighted to  find  that  she  got  on  just  as  well  as  the 
younger  ones — in  fact  better  than  M.,  whose 
rather  heavy  build  and  sedentary  bringing  up  in 
Spain  have  not  made  her  very  athletic. 

After  luncheon  we  had  some  delightful  music 
from  Miss  Smythe,  who  is  quite  a  musical  genius 

66 


DAILY  EVENTS 

and  spends  most  of  her  time  in  Germany  studying 
for  pleasure.  One  consolation,  the  Empress  likes 
my  simple  playing  quite  as  well  as  hers,  and  told 
us  in  the  evening  about  a  concert  at  the  Con- 
servatoire, given  for  Queen  Victoria  and  Prince 
Albert,  which  lasted  four  mortal  hours,  and  even 
sent  the  music-loving  Prince  Consort  to  sleep,  to 
the  disgust  of  all  Paris.  The  Empress  said  that 
she  herself,  though  she  adores  music,  always 
passed  for  not  liking  it,  for  she  really  had  not  the 
courage  and  hypocrisy  to  follow  the  score,  to 
beat  time,  to  nod  her  head  and  appear  ravie  for 
whole  hours.  She  owns  frankly  to  neither  liking 
nor  understanding  classical  music.  This  latter 
assertion  is,  I  am  sure,  strictly  true.  My  Pinson 
et  Fauvette  is  banal  and  superficial  enough  to 
be  her  favorite,  and  she  is  always  asking  for  it 
and  enjoys  it.  The  conversation  turned  on  Sir 
Arthur  Sullivan  (of  Gilbert  and  Sullivan 
operatic  fame),  who  has  a  little  cottage  in  this 
neighborhood,  where  he  retires  from  London 
when  he  wants  to  be  quiet  and  work  undisturbed. 
Sir  Arthur  told  the  Empress  that  just  now  he 
is  writing  to  make  money,  but  later  on  he  is  to 
bring  out  a  serious  opera  he  has  on  hand,  which 
he  hopes  will  add  to  his  musical  reputation. 

After  dinner,  it  being  Saturday,  the  Empress 
allowed  us  girls  to  go  to  the  billiard-room  with 
the  gentlemen  for  a  game  of  cochonnetj,  a  rather 

67 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

amusing  French  game  played  on  a  small  billiard 
table.  The  parti  de  cochonnet  over,  we  all  joined 
the  Empress  in  the  grand  salon  and  did  not  go 
up  to  our  rooms  till  11:30,  but  had  quite  sleep 
enough,  for  on  Sunday  mornings  our  breakfast 
is  brought  up  to  our  rooms,  as  is  that  of  the  Em- 
press and  Mme.  Le  Breton,  and  we  need  only 
make  our  appearance  at  9:30,  at  which  time  the 
various  carriages  are  in  readiness  to  take  us  to 
the  soldiers'  church  at  Aldershot.  Called  by 
courtesy  a  church,  in  reality  it  is  nothing  but  a 
dreary,  barnlike  structure,  perfectly  gaunt  and 
bare,  and  used  in  rotation  by  all  the  various  de- 
nominations of  North  Camp.  The  commanding 
officer  (a  Catholic)  and  others  were  at  the  door 
to  receive  the  Empress,  and  conduct  her  up  the 
aisle  to  the  seat  reserved  for  her.  Before  mass, 
at  which  we  had  some  very  mediocre  military  mu- 
sic rendered  exclusively  by  Catholic  soldiers, 
morning  prayers  were  said,  and  later  we  had  a 
nice  practical  sermon  from  Rev.  Father  Corbett, 
the  army  chaplain.  We  returned  home  in  the 
same  order  as  we  came,  the  Empress  and  Mme 
Le  Breton  in  a  brougham  and  pair,'  the  two  gen- 
tlemen, M.,  A.,  and  myself  in  a  closed  wagonette, 
the  guard  turning  out  and  saluting  with  bugles 
as  we  passed  the  barracks.  Before  and  after 
luncheon  a  little  walk  in  the  park,  and  afterward 
the  Empress  took  me  herself  into  the  drawing- 

68 


THE  MEMORIAL  CHURCH,  FARNBOROUGH  HILL 
From  a  drawing  by  B.  B.  Long 


DAILY  EVENTS 

room  and  the  salon  de  Vlmperatrice,  showing  me 
everything  and  telling  me  the  history  of  the  beau- 
tiful things  there. 

Now,  dear,  I  must  say  good-by.  This  will 
probably  be  my  first  and  last  free  time  today,  as 
it  is  just  the  rosary  hour;  then  afternoon  tea, 
and  as  a  very  extraordinary  Spanish  lady,  the 
wife  of  General  B.,  invariably  comes  to  that 
little  social  gathering  on  Sundays,  we  shall  have 
to  sit  indefinitely  round  the  tea  tray,  listening  to 
her  very  amusing  stories  in  excruciatingly  bad 
French.  The  Empress  says  she  is  as  good  as  a 
play,  and  it  distracts  and  amuses  her  to  hear  this 
visitor  rattle  on. 

P.  S.  11  p.  m. — Bedtime.  Yes,  Mrs.  B.  is  in- 
deed as  good  as  or  better  than  the  majority  of 
plays — she  kept  us  all  in  fits  of  laughter;  the 
poor  General  does  not  seem  to  enjoy  it  though. 
He  was  as  quiet  as  a  mouse  all  tea  time,  and  gave 
us  plenty  of  occupation  passing  him  cakes,  and 
bread  and  butter,  and  refilling  his  cup.  Instead 
of  tea  the  Empress  takes  a  small  cup  of  boiling 
water  with  about  a  teaspoonful  of  milk  in  it,  and 
no  sugar.  It  must  be  a  very  horrid  concoction, 
I  think,  but  she  finds  it  agrees  with  her  better. 
I  do  not  think  you  would  like  that  brew,  nor  in- 
deed any  of  the  tea  we  drink  here.  What  one 
gets  of  the  flavor  is  delicious,  but  it  is  terribly 
weak.     The  Empress  says  that  the  Prince  of 

69 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Wales,  when  at  home,  has  an  urn  and  cups 
brought  in  every  evening  now  at  nine  o'clock,  and 
he  also  takes  a  hygienic  cup  of  hot  water,  but  per- 
fectly plain.  He  does  not  even  pretend  it  is  tea. 
Tomorrow  Mme.  de  Arcos  arrives  on  a  visit; 
and  soon  the  Empress  and  she,  accompanied  by 
the  Due  de  Bassano,  are  going  to  Windsor 
Castle.  She  has  promised  her  nieces  not  to  be 
long  away — if  possible  only  two  days.  We  shall 
miss  her  dreadfully. 

Monday,  February  22.  Mme.  de  Arcos  ar- 
rived for  luncheon.  She  was  very  gay,  talked 
politics,  and  told  us  amusingly  about  the  Queen's 
present  dilemma  .  Each  of  the  duchesses  of  the 
realm  has  offered  excuses  why  she  should  decline 
being  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  which  is  particularly 
awkward,  as  her  English  Majesty  will  have  no 
one  but  a  duchess. 

Wednesday,  February  24.  Lady  Jane  Tay- 
lor, sister  of  the  Duchess  of  Wellington,  called 
with  her  daughter  at  afternoon  tea  time.  After 
the  rosary,  the  Empress  showed  me  over  her 
own  bedroom,  the  Due  de  Bassano's  apartments, 
and  other  rooms. 

This  evening,  during  our  after-dinner  consti- 
tutional, the  Empress  gave  us  a  most  impressive 
and  graphic  account  of  her  flight  from  Paris,  a 
theme  about  which  so  much  has  been  written, 

70 


DAILY  EVENTS 

and  so  many  false  versions  circulated  even  by 
well-meaning  people,  that  it  was  doubly  interest- 
ing to  hear  the  details  of  it  from  her  own  lips.1 
She  dwelt  first  a  good  deal  upon  the  horrors  of 
the  war  and  its  fearful  anxieties.  Appointed  Re- 
gent in  1870,  during  the  Emperor's  absence,  she 
was  alone  in  Paris  from  July  to  September,  and 
the  strain  of  responsibility  and  anxiety  was  per- 
fectly terrible.  She  never  slept  except  with  the 
aid  of  chloral,  and  often  then  had  to  be  wakened 
up  from  her  absolutely  necessary  though  fitful 
slumber,  to  peruse  telegrams  arriving  from  the 
seat  of  war. 

The  people  howled  around  the  Tuileries  all 
night,  for  they  hated  her  for  the  share  they  sup- 
posed she  took  in  causing  the  war.  In  telling 
us  all  this  in  French,  the  Empress  said:  "Oui, 
j  'ai  passe  quelques  moments  terribles  de  Juillet 
a  Septembre.  Rien  dans  la  nature — ni  tempetes, 
ni  elements  courrouces — ne  peut  donner  la  moin- 
dre  idee  de  1  'horreur  d  'un  peuple  en  fureur. 
A  moins  de  le  voir,  personne  ne  peut  se  figurer  ce 
qu  'est  toute  une  populace  hurlant  contre  vous 
— c'est  atroce ! 2 

i  On  going  up  to  my  room  within  an  hour  of  her  recital,  I 
made  careful  notes,  from  which  this  account,  with  very  slight 
alterations  mainly   for  the   sake   of  clarity,  has  been  written. 

2  "Nothing  in  nature,  neither  storms  nor  the  angry  elements  can 
give  one  the  faintest  idea  of  a  people  in  violent  anger.  Without 
experiencing  it,  no  one  can  imagine  what  it  means  to  have  a  whole 
populace  howling  against  you  —  it  is  horrible ! " 

71 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

She  then  told  us  how  several  times,  when  she 
was  presiding  at  a  council  of  war,  malicious  tele- 
grams arrived  announcing  that  the  Emperor  and 
her  son  were  dead.  She  had  to  open  these  des- 
patches, read  them  in  public,  and  preserve  her 
composure,  while  her  mind  was  racked  with  un- 
certainty. When  the  signal  defeats  of  the 
French  army  by  the  Prussians  came  about,  simi- 
lar false  messages  about  husband  and  son  were 
constantly  arriving  at  the  palace  at  night,  and 
she  was  driven  nearly  out  of  her  senses. 

After  common  report  asserted  that  the  Em- 
press had  already  left  Paris,  she  stayed  on  one 
night  longer,  and  left  the  capital  the  next  day 
with  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  Dr.  Thomas  W. 
Evans,  an  American — the  court  dentist.  While 
foreign  ambassadors  and  officials  stood  aloof 
fearing  to  implicate  their  governments,  he  came 
forward  and  put  himself  at  her  service  in  a  most 
devoted  and  opportune  way.  Report  said  also 
that  she  was  disguised,  but  she  told  us,  and  re- 
peated it  emphatically  several  times,  that  she 
never  did  and  never  would  disguise  herself.  She 
refused  absolutely  to  wear  even  a  thicker  veil  than 
usual,  and  was  dressed  in  her  ordinary  clothes — a 
simple  black  dress,  hat  and  cloak,  such  as  she  wore 
every  day  in  her  private  life  at  the  Tuileries.1 

i  This  was  her  own  description  of  herself  to  me  and  I  wrote  it 
down  within  an  hour.    Since  then  in  reading  over  my  notes  I  won- 

72 


DAILY  EVENTS 

The  idea  of  disguising  herself  was  hateful  to  her 
pride,  though  she  was  taking  great  risks  in  re- 
fusing to  do  so. 

These  three  persons  then  left  Paris  on  the  fifth 
of  September,  in  Dr.  Evans's  private  carriage, 
driving  down  the  rue  de  Rivoli  in  plain  view  of 
everybody.     While  so  doing  the  Empress,  who 
would  not  even  consent  to  sit  back  out  of  sight  as 
her  companions  implored  her  to  do,  was  recog- 
nized by  a  little  patissier  boy,  who  began  shouting 
excitedly:     "The  Empress!"     Every  one  was  on 
the  qui  vive,  and,  her  life  being  eagerly  sought 
by  many,   the   situation  at  the  outset   of  this 
eventful  journey  became  critical  in  the  extreme; 
but  Dr.  Evans,  with  great  presence  of  mind, 
turned  the  tide  of  thought  in  another  direction. 
Jumping  out  of  the  carriage,  he  caught  the  of- 
fending boy  by  his  collar,  shook  him  roughly, 
saying:     "You  little  ragamuffin,  how  dare  you 
cry,  'Long  live  the  Empress' !"  jumped  back  into 
the  carriage  with  lightning  speed  and  drove  off, 
leaving  the  dazed  boy  neither  time  nor  wits  to 
even  reason  out  how  he  had  "put  his  foot  into  it." 
The  patissier  probably  kept  his  impressions  to 
himself  after  this,  and  as  a  crowd  had  had  no 
time  to  gather,  the  incident  fortunately  caused  no 
disastrous  consequences.1 

dered  at  the  plain  black  dress,  but  an  account  in  a  book  by  her 
intimate  friend,  Mme.  Carette,  tallies  with  mine. 

i  One  man,  Her  Imperial  Majesty  said,  wrote  openly  to  the 

73 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Once  outside  the  gates  of  Paris  (which  only  a 
thoughtfully  prearranged  scheme  and  much 
ready  wit  had  enabled  them  to  pass  with  im- 
punity ) ,  Dr.  Evans  took  the  first  opportunity  to 
send  his  carriage  back  by  another  barridre,  and 
the  journey,  on  which  they  met  with  unheard  of 
difficulties,  began  in  dead  earnest. 

They  proceeded  slowly,  sometimes  walking  so 
as  to  leave  no  trace  of  themselves,  sometimes, 
when  it  seemed  feasible,  hiring  a  vehicle  to  get 
over  the  ground  a  little  quicker.  At  one  time  it 
was  raining  hard,  but  there  was  nothing  for  it 
but  to  walk  a  long  distance  across  open  fields 
and  then  stand  in  the  shelter  of  a  barn  door, 
while  Dr.  Evans  reconnoitered  and  made  further 
plans.  They  were  of  course  anxious  to  avoid 
railroads  as  much  as  possible,  as  the  Empress  was 
being  watched  for  everywhere  and  on  the  rail- 
roads in  particular,  as  the  most  probable  egress 
for  her.  Often,  after  much  plodding  over 
ploughed  fields,  Dr.  Evans  tried  vainly  to  hire  a 
vehicle  for  the  two  footsore  women.  At  last  he 
succeeded,  and  they  drove  for  some  distance,  dis- 
cussing eagerly  the  while  about  the  next  move. 
Dr.  Evans  thought  it  might  be  prudent  to  test 

papers,  declaring  he  had  gone  to  the  Tuileries  with  the  mob,  pre- 
pared to  kill  her,  and  deplored  the  fact  that  she  had  left,  and  that 
he  had  arrived  just  five  minutes  too  late.  So  the  success  or  non- 
success  of  her  flight  was  really  an  actual  matter  of  life  or  death, 
and  not  only  polite  fiction. 

74 


DAILY  EVENTS 

the  sentiments  of  the  driver  and  see  what  kind 
of  a  man  he  was,  before  deciding  anything  fur- 
ther. Making  a  pretext  of  better  seeing  the 
country,  he  sat  outside  with  the  driver  and  began 
chatting  with  him. 

"Eh  bien,  quelles  nouvelles  de  Paris?"  asked 
Dr.  Evans. 

"Ah,"  excitedly,  "vous  ne  savez  done  pas?" 

"Non,"  answered  the  doctor. 

"Ah !     Elle  nous  a  echappe !" 

"Qui  done?"  asked  Dr.  Evans,  with  as  much 
ignorant  indifference  as  he  could  feign. 

"Mais — cette  maudite  femme — cette  Impera- 
trice!  Ah!  [with  horribly  abusive  epithets  and 
gestures  suggestive  of  strangling]  si  je  la  tenais 
.  .  .  elle  ne  mourrait  que  de  mes  mains !"  x 

Dr.  Evans  tried  to  appear  pas  au  courant  and 
did  not  dare,  of  course,  to  defend  the  Empress, 
but  he  thought,  that  considering  the  would-be- 
victim  was  within  a  few  inches  of  this  blood- 
thirsty individual,  the  cabriolet  was  decidedly  an 
unsafe  place.     Quarreling  about  the  fare  accord- 

1 "  Well,  what  news  from  Paris?"  asked  Dr.  Evans. 

"Ah,  you  don't  know,  then?"  excitedly. 

"No!"  answered  the  doctor. 

"  Ah,  she  has  escaped  us !  " 

"Who?"  again  asked  Dr.  Evans,  with  as  much  ignorant  indif- 
ference as  he  could  feign. 

"Why,  that  cursed  woman  —  the  Empress!  Ah,  if  I  only  got 
hold  of  her  — she^would  die  by  my  bands!" 

75 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ingly,  he  dismissed  the  man  and  got  his  compan- 
ions away  as  quickly  as  he  could. 

It  proved  impossible  to  find  any  other  vehicle 
and  they  had  to  walk  on  again  across  country, 
and  strike  out  finally  for  the  nearest  railroad. 
Here  they  sat  down  nearly  exhausted,  on  a  bench 
in  the  little  waiting-room  of  a  small  wayside  sta- 
tion. Dr.  Evans  kept  his  ears  diligently  listen- 
ing for  reports,  on  which  they  might  possibly 
shape  their  plans.  At  his  wits'  end  how  to  con- 
ceal the  well-known  and  strikingly  beautiful 
woman  from  observation,  he  bought  a  newspaper, 
opened  it  out  and  pushed  it  into  the  Empress's 
hands  as  she  sat  there  dazed  and  passive,  saying, 
"Read  that."  Thus  he  forced  her  to  keep  this 
slight,  temporary  screen  in  front  of  her  and 
hoped  devoutly  the  peasants  might  not  recognize 
her. 

The  fugitives  waited  what  seemed  to  them  an 
endless  time  for  a  train  going  in  the  direction  they 
desired.  Many  market  people  sauntered  in  and 
out  with  their  baskets  on  their  arms,  the  Empress 
risking  recognition  every  instant,  and  escaping 
in  a  seemingly  miraculous  way,  till  finally  the 
train  they  were  to  take  drew  into  the  station. 

The  chef  de  gare  then  threw  open  the  waiting- 
room  doors  and  began  to  hustle  the  people  out 
on  to  the  platform.  He  seemed  particularly  to 
push  the  Empress,  taking  her  by  the  arm  and 

76 


DAILY  EVENTS 

speaking  very  roughly.  She  told  us  that  she 
could  not  help  a  first  impulse  to  resent  such  a 
liberty,  but  of  course  had  to  control  herself  and 
submit.  It  was  a  tremendous  transition  from  the 
treatment  she  had  hitherto  received, — even  a  few 
days  before  the  utmost  deference,  and  now 
rudely  jostled  with  a  crowd  of  peasants.  She 
sadly  reflected  how  quickly  the  change  had  been 
effected. 

She  got  meekly  into  a  third-class  compartment 
with  her  two  companions.  Just  as  the  train  was 
moving  off  the  rude  station  master  jumped  up 
on  the  steps,  and,  to  her  great  surprise,  touched 
his  cap  respectfully,  reached  his  hand  into  the 
carriage  while  taking  hers,  and,  bending  over  it, 
kissed  it.  He  had  recognized  his  sovereign,  and 
his  officious  attitude  with  the  people  was  evi- 
dently assumed  to  help  her  escape  observation. 
This  incident  comforted  her  a  little,  and  she  told 
it  to  us  with  a  break  in  her  voice. 

The  next  place  they  stopped  was  a  common 
auberge,  and  here  the  Empress  had  to  feign  ill- 
ness anoj.  go  to  bed,  to  avoid  appearing  in  the 
public  eating-room.  During  the  several  days  it 
took  to  reach  Deauville,  all  the  food  she  tasted 
consisted  of  scraps  that  Mme  Le  Breton  had  been 
able  to  pocket  surreptitiously.  She  never  got  a 
regular  meal,  nor  had  her  clothes  off  her  back 
all  that  time. 

77 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Finally  they  arrived  at  their  destination,  ut- 
terly worn  out,  and  went  at  once  to  the  hotel 
where  Mrs.  Evans  was  spending  the  season  with 
her  family;  she  had  been  notified  beforehand  of 
their  probable  arrival.  The  Empress  was  im- 
mediately taken  up  an  unused  staircase  to  Mrs. 
Evans's  own  bedroom,  where  she  was  locked  in 
until  midnight.  Here  her  hostess  paid  her  occa- 
sional stolen  visits  and  smuggled  up  some  food 
to  her,  but  was  not  able  even  now  to  give  her  a 
properly  served  meal.  Mrs.  Evans  could  not  do 
so  without  the  servants'  knowledge,  and  as  they 
were  strangers  to  her,  and  their  character  and 
sentiments  unknown,  it  was  felt  that,  with  such  a 
prize  as  the  imperial  head,  the  temptation  to  be- 
trayal might  possibly  prove  too  strong.  No 
one,  therefore,  was  intrusted  with  the  weighty 
secret. 

The  Empress's  plan  was  to  get  to  England, 
but  of  course  traveling  on  the  public  steamers  was 
out  of  the  question,  and  Dr.  Evans  tried  among 
the  yachtsmen  to  find  some  one  willing  to  take  the 
fugitives  across  the  Channel.  Several  refused 
point-blank,  not  liking  the  responsibility  and 
complications  that  might  arise  out  of  such  action. 
Sir  John  Burgoyne,  when  appealed  to,  gallantly 
declared  he  would  be  delighted  and  that  he  would 
risk  anything  to  help;  but  added  that  his  yacht 
was  very  small  (only  40  tons)  and  with  ladies 

78 


DAILY  EVENTS 

aboard  not  really  fit  to  cross  the  Channel  in  such 
a  gale.  However,  he  said,  if  the  Empress  was 
willing  to  risk  a  rough  and  dangerous  passage, 
he  would  be  only  too  glad  to  put  the  Gazelle  at 
her  disposal.  Eugenie  told  us  she  would  never 
to  her  dying  day  forget  their  tragic  walk  down 
to  the  quay  in  the  darkness.  Mme.  Le  Breton 
and  Mrs.  Evans  walked  ahead  to  see  that  all  was 
safe,  Dr.  Evans  and  the  Empress  following. 
Everything  was  ominously  still  except  the  sea, 
which  was  lashed  into  a  perfect  fury.1 

In  the  early  morning  the  Gazelle  at  last  got 
under  way,  and  the  fugitives  felt  comparatively 
safe  for  the  time  being.  Nothing,  during  the 
trip,  could  equal  Lady  Burgoyne's  eager  and 
tender,  womanly  kindness  to  the  Empress,  who 
told  us  that  her  sense  of  humor  obliged  her,  even 
in  the  midst  of  all  her  own  misery,  fatigue  and 
seasickness,  to  see  the  ludicrous  and  incongruous 
side  of  things  and  to  laugh  at  intervals  during 
this  terrible  voyage.  Lady  Burgoyne's  principal 
idea  of  available  help  in  the  way  of  food  was  a 
crust  of  bread  and  champagne,  which  she  was 
constantly  pressing  on  her  two  guests,  who  lay 
wretchedly  helpless  and  utterly  exhausted  in  their 
tiny  bunks. 

i  On  that  very  night  Sir  John  lost  his  nephew,  Captain  Sir 
Hugh  Burgoyne,  who  was  in  command  of  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful British  men-of-war,  which  mysteriously  disappeared  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Channel. 

79 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Only  after  twenty-four  weary  hours  did  the 
yacht  reach  England,  at  Ryde,  both  passengers 
and  crew  having  many  times  during  the  gale 
thought  they  would  never  see  shore  again.  The 
Empress  had  no  idea  on  landing  where  to  look  for 
her  son — nothing  but  conflicting  information  as 
to  his  whereabouts  greeted  her.  He  was  sup- 
posed, after  the  battle  of  Sedan,  to  have  gone  to 
Belgium  and  have  since  arrived  somewhere  in 
England,  but  there  was  also  another  report  to 
the  effect  that  he  and  Comte  Clary,  his  tutor, 
had  been  killed.  Neither  could  the  Empress  find 
her  two  Alva  nieces,1  who  had  lived  with  her  at 
the  Tuileries  since  their  mother's  death  in  1860. 
On  account  of  possible  danger  they  had  been 
sent  on  to  England,  some  time  ahead.  They 
were  supposed  to  be  at  Brighton,  but  on  reach- 
ing the  hotel  indicated  they  were  reported  gone, 
and  had  left  no  clue  as  to  their  whereabouts. 
Later  on  the  whole  party  was  discovered  safely 
housed  at  Hastings,  and  the  two  Spanish  girls 
had  chosen  that  opportune  time  to  indulge  in 
measles.  From  Hastings  the  whole  family  soon 
after  moved  to  Chislehurst,  where  Mr.  Stroud 
very  courteously  put  his  residence,  Camden 
Place,  at  their  disposal. 

1  One  became  Duquesa  de  Medina  Celi  and  died  after  a  year  of 
marriage,  much  admired  and  beloved;  the  other  became  Duquesa 
de  Tamaraes. 

80 


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DAILY  EVENTS 

When  the  Empress  had  finished  telling  us  all 
these  thrilling  adventures,  she  continued  walk- 
ing for  a  few  paces  in  silence  and  deep  thought; 
then  added,  "Je  ne  sais  pas  comment  je  ne  suis 
pas  devenue  f olle,  a  bien  des  moments  de  ma  vie ! 
Aussi,  on  comprend  1  'etat  de  mes  nerfs  a  pres- 
ent!" *  She  then  went  on  and  told  us,  that  on 
March  20,  1871,  after  his  release  from  imprison- 
ment in  Wilhelmshohe,  the  Emperor  arrived  in 
Dover.  She  and  her  nieces  went  there  to  meet 
him,  and  many  thousands  of  sympathetic  English 
gave  him  an  enthusiastic  welcome.  That  day 
at  the  famous  Dover  hotel,  the  Lord  Warden,  the 
imperial  party  by  a  strange  coincidence,  came 
face  to  face  in  a  narrow  corridor  with  the  Orleans 
family.  They  were  about  to  reenter  France 
after  many  years  of  exile  in  England.  Napoleon 
III  was  leaving  France  and  going  into  exile  from 
which  he  was  never  to  return.  The  contrast  of 
the  situation  was  sharp. 

The  two  parties  met,  as  I  say,  in  a  narrow  pas- 
sage. They  eagerly  scrutinized  each  other,  this 
being  their  very  first  meeting.  Then,  on  a  sign 
from  the  Empress,  she  and  her  nieces,  and  attend- 
ants drew  up  against  the  wall,  courtesying  low 
to  the  Orleans  family,  as  they  passed  along  on 
their  way  toward  home  and  country. 

i "  I  do  not  know  how  I  kept  my  sanity  in  many  trying  episodes 
of  my  life.    My  present  state  of  nerves  is  easily  understood." 

81 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
Saturday,  February  27,  1886. 

As  M.  Pietri  is  away,  we  now  have  one  game 
of  cochonnet  every  evening  with  the  Duke,  who 
otherwise  would  have  no  one  to  play  billiards 
with,  and  who  misses  his  one  tame  little  bit  of 
gaiety  very  much.  He  is  such  a  dear  old  man, 
and  wonderful  for  his  age,  and  so  kind,  so  courte- 
ous, and  so  dignified,  and  yet  so  amusing.  He 
has  been  suffering  lately  from  indigestion  and 
heartburn,  but  he  is  so  patient  and  nice  about 
it.  In  answer  to  the  Empress's  daily  inquiry, 
"Eh  bien,  mon  cher  Due,  comment  cela  va-t-il 
aujourd  'hui?"  he  answers  simply,  "J  'ai  encore 
le  fer  chaud,  Madame;  que  votre  Majeste  ne 
se  preoccupe  pas.      Ca  n'est  rien — tout  passe !"  1 

Yesterday  being  our  staying-up-late  evening, 
I  was  at  the  piano  a  good  deal,  each  time  the 
Empress  asking  for  "More! — more!"  The  Mu- 
sic Box  appeared  to  delight  her,  she  found  it  such 
a  close  imitation  of  a  real  one. 

Thursday,  March  4.  Mme.  Le  Breton  spent 
the  day  in  London.  We  three  girls  took  a  long 
walk  with  the  Empress  in  the  morning,  and  drove 

i  "Well,  my  dear  Duke,  how  are  you  today?  "  "  I  have  the  hot 
Iron  today.  I  beg  your  Majesty  not  to  preoccupy  yourself  on  my 
account  —  it  is  nothing  —  everything  comes  to  an  end." 

82 


DAILY  EVENTS 

with  the  Due  de  Bassano  in  the  afternoon,  when 
he  spoke  of  many  interesting  things.  He  told 
us  a  good  deal  about  the  poor  demented  Empress 
Charlotte,  sister  of  Leopold  II  of  Belgium  and 
widow  of  the  Archduke  Maximilian,  made  Em- 
peror of  Mexico  in  1864  and  shot  in  Quaretaro, 
June  19,  1867.  The  Due  de  Bassano's  daugh- 
ter, Baroness  d  'Hoogworth,  lady-in-waiting  to 
the  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  occasionally  passes 
a  day  with  the  ex-empress  at  Laeken,  near  Brus- 
sels. For  many  previous  years  she  used  to  spend 
her  time  in  front  of  an  easel,  painting  and  repaint- 
ing her  husband's  portrait,  or  writing  pathetic 
letters,  begging  and  imploring  different  sover- 
eigns of  Europe  to  give  her  soldiers  and  means  to 
help  her  Maximilian  (long  since  shot  down  by  his 
rebellious  subjects).  Charlotte's  latest  craze, 
and  she  has  had  many  and  varied  ones,  the  Duke 
says,  is  not  to  allow  her  ladies  to  eat  anything 
at  mealtimes.  The  Duke  also  said  he  remem- 
bered her  as  young  and  gay  on  her  first  visit  to 
Vienna  after  her  marriage.  On  her  arrival  it 
was  discovered  that  all  her  baggage  had  been  de- 
layed on  the  road,  and  not  having  a  court  dress 
to  appear  in,  she  had  to  stay  in  her  room  during 
the  official  reception  given  in  her  honor. 

From  these  matters  we  drifted  into  talking  of 
audiences,  for  one  of  his  duties  as  Grand  Cham- 
berlain was  to  interview  the  people  who  came  to 

83 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Tuileries,  asking  for  audiences,  or  who  had 
petitions  to  present  to  the  Emperor.  The  Duke 
told  us  many  interesting  incidents  that  happened 
in  consequence. 

One  poor  widow,  who  had  lost  her  only  son, 
her  mainstay,  had  come  to  beg  assistance  of  the 
always  accessible  sovereign.  After  seeing  him 
she  returned  triumphantly  to  thank  the  Due  de 
Bassano  for  his  good  offices.  In  her  gratitude 
she  recounted  the  Emperor's  kindness  to  her: 
"Ah,  Monsieur,"  she  said,  "que  1  'Empereur  est 
bon ;  il  a  bien  voulu  se  mettre  en  redingote,  parce- 
qu  'il  ne  voulait  pas  trop  m  'impressioner."  l 
The  poor  woman  evidently  thought  that  robes 
of  state  were  always  worn,  and  that  the  Emperor 
had  only  donned  civilian  clothes  out  of  delicate 
regard  for  her  feelings. 

In  the  evening  after  dinner  the  subject  of  au- 
diences again  came  up  in  conversation,  and  this 
time  it  was  the  Empress  who  told  us  her  experi- 
ences. 

She  said  how  trying  the  hours  of  audiences 
were,  as  she  was  obliged  to  give  them  standing. 
If  once  she  allowed  people  to  sit  down,  she  found 
from  experience  she  never  could  get  rid  of  them. 
Women  were  the  hardest  to  deal  with ;  they  would 

lMAh,  sir,"   she   said,  "how   good   the   Emperor  is  —  he  very 
kindly  wore  plain  clothes — so  as  not  to  overawe  me!" 

84 


DAILY  EVENTS 

stick  pertinaciously  to  their  request  however 
ridiculous. 

A  country  woman  was  ushered  in  one  day  and 
gave,  with  much  excitement,  the  details  of  a  great 
plot  she  said  she  had  discovered — hidden  bombs, 
etc., — and  tried  to  intimidate  the  Empress,  who 
suspected  the  woman's  sincerity  and  the  truth 
of  her  narrative.  She  tested  the  woman  by  turn- 
ing the  tables  on  her,  and  in  her  turn  frightening 
her.  Feigning  to  believe  her  statements,  the 
Empress  told  her  that  she  would  certainly  be  ar- 
rested for  complicity  in  the  plot.  The  terrified 
woman  then  threw  herself  on  her  knees  and 
begged  for  mercy,  confessed  to  her  Empress  that 
the  whole  stoiy  was  pure  invention,  and  that  she 
had  only  taken  this  mysteriously  threatening  atti- 
tude for  the  sake  of  obtaining  an  audience ;  what 
she  really  wanted  was  only  "U-ne  pe-ti-te  bas- 
til-le,"  which  the  Empress — mimicking  her  queer 
petitioner, — pronounced  with  a  strong  Marseil- 
lais  accent,  and  which  she  told  us  meant  merely,  a 
little  house. 

Here  is  another  audience  our  hostess  told  us 
about,  which  showed  how  constantly  she  had  to 
keep  her  wits  about  her,  not  to  be  hoodwinked. 
A  very  saintly-looking  Dominican  monk  one  day 
early  in  her  reign  craved  admittance  to  her  pres- 
ence in  the  Tuileries.     It  was  neither  the  regular 

85 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

day  nor  hour  for  audiences,  but  as  the  monk  said 
he  had  come  from  the  celebrated  Pere  Lacordaire, 
who  was  well  known  to  the  Empress  and  often 
sent  her  urgent  cases  for  immediate  relief,  the 
Dominican  was  welcomed  and  listened  to.  He 
made  a  very  thrilling  appeal  for  his  monastery. 
The  Empress,  who  was  much  touched  by  his 
pathetic  story  of  emergency  regretfully  admitted 
she  had  not  at  that  moment  in  cash  the  sum  re- 
quired, but  she  would  try  to  obtain  it,  and  send 
it  to  his  address  before  night.  This  he  did  not 
seem  to  relish;  said  he  was  very  sorry  but  that 
arrangement,  unfortunately,  would  be  of  no  use, 
as  urgent  circumstances  obliged  him  to  leave 
Paris  before  evening!  The  Empress  in  her  im- 
pulse to  help,  then  bethought  herself  of  the  Em- 
peror, who  was  busily  working  near  by.  She  left 
the  monk  for  a  moment  and  went  into  the  ad- 
joining room  to  ask  her  husband  for  an  addition 
to  the  sum  she  herself  had  in  hand,  which  was 
1500  francs.  The  Emperor  questioned  her 
about  the  case,  disapproved  of  her  giving  in  this 
offhand  way,  and  though  always  so  generous 
himself,  absolutely  refused  for  once  to  help. 
Doubts  having  been  thus  raised  in  her  mind  by 
the  Emperor's  firmness,  something  in  the  monk's 
attitude  as  she  reentered  the  room  further  aroused 
her  suspicions  of  him.  She  noticed  a  certain  dis- 
comfort in  the  way  he  walked;  he  entangled  his 

86 


DAILY  EVENTS 

legs  as  if  not  very  much  at  home  in  his  habit.  As 
soon  as  the  monk  had  left  the  palace,  the  Empress 
sent  quickly  for  her  chef  de  police  and  had  the 
case  investigated.  No  such  Dominican  was 
known  to  Pere  Lacordaire;  the  monk  was  just  a 
dressed-up  swindler.  This  was  a  lesson  and 
made  her  less  apt,  she  said,  to  act  on  sympathetic 
impulses  without  due  inquiry  first. 

Friday,  March  5.  At  dinner  we  talked  about 
nuns,  monks  and  religious  vocations.  The  Em- 
press said  she  thought,  provided  the  vocation  was 
real,  that  it  was  the  happiest  lot  in  life — with  its 
absence  of  sordid  care  and  anxiety,  its  peace,  its 
quiet  and  regular  work.  She  added,  it  was  only 
steady  occupation  which  made  life  bearable  in 
her  case.  She  asked  a  good  deal  about  I.  and  F., 
and  their  respective  convent  and  monastery,  hav- 
ing evidently  in  mind  to  glean  all  possible  in- 
formation which  might  be  useful  for  her  own 
monastery  adjoining  the  Memorial  Church.  She 
declared  she  would  probably  decide  to  have  Bene- 
dictines there  in  charge. 

Saturday,  March  6.  M.  D  'Antas,  the  Portu- 
guese ambassador,  came  to  pay  his  respects.  The 
Empress  started  for  Winsdor  later,  and  we  went 
as  usual  to  the  gymnastic  class  at  Aldershot. 

Monday,  March  8.  Went  up  to  London  on 
the   12:45   train  with  M.   and   A.    At   Mme. 

87 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

de  Arcos's  house  we  met  the  Empress,  who  was 
returning  from  Windsor. 

In  the  evening,  owing  to  her  return  from 
Windsor,  the  Empress  naturally  told  us  a  good 
deal  about  her  visit,  and  the  way  she  usually 
spends  her  time  there ;  the  kind  of  lif e  they  lead  at 
the  castle ;  some  special  visits  in  her  private  apart- 
ments; and  the  routine  of  the  day.  She  ex- 
pressed her  dislike  to  being  dressed  up — they 
change  their  costumes  in  the  royal  household  four 
times  daily,  and  to  the  quiet  Empress  it  meant 
bustle  and  rush  all  day  long.1  She  told  us,  too, 
of  the  fuss  and  commotion  caused  by  the  break- 
ing of  a  drainpipe  near  her  room,  and  how 
anxious  the  Queen  was, — dreading  typhoid,  al- 
ready so  fatal  in  her  family.  The  Empress's 
party  had  to  move  over  into  another  wing  of  the 
castle  in  consequence. 

She  explained  also,  how  frigid  it  always  is  at 
the  castle,  especially  after  dinner.  The  Queen's 
love  of  fresh  air  and  cold  is  phenomenal,  and  a 
window  is  always  open  where  she  sits.  This  is 
hard  on  the  ladies-in-waiting,  who,  in  the  evening 
of  course,  have  to  be  decolletee  in  all  seasons. 

i  The  Empress  always  (even  in  the  heyday  of  her  glory)  put 
on  early  in  the  morning  the  dress  she  was  going  to  wear  all  day, 
till  she  changed  it  for  dinner.  She  expressed  admiration  for  the 
English  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  her  dislike  for  the  laziness  of 
certain  women  of  fashion,  who  spent  half  their  waking  hours  at 
home  in  the  negligees  and  tea  gowns,  which  type  of  garment  she 
thoroughly  despised. 

88 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  NAPOLEON  III  WITH  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 


DAILY  EVENTS 

The  Empress  told  us  an  amusing  little  anecdote 
about  Princess  Beatrice,  who,  one  particularly 
chilly  evening,  rather  mischievously  ran  into  the 
drawing-room  ahead  of  her  royal  mother,  quickly 
put  the  thermometer  outside  the  window  for  a 
few  moments  and  then  hung  it  deftly  back  again 
in  its  accustomed  place.  The  Queen,  on  entering 
the  room,  glanced  mechanically  at  the  thermom- 
eter, looked  puzzled,  and  expressed  her  surprise 
at  the  low  temperature  registered.  As  soon  as 
she  had  turned  her  back,  the  mercury  naturally 
rose,  but  the  Queen,  once  satisfied  by  her  hasty 
glimpse  at  the  instrument,  sat  down,  perfectly  un- 
aware of  the  trick  played  upon  her,  and  the  ladies 
had  a  more  comfortable  evening  in  consequence. 
Poor  Princess  Beatrice  is  nearly  driven  wild; 
she  has  so  much  given  her  to  do  and  not  half 
enough  time  to  do  it  in.  She  is  constantly  at 
the  Queen's  beck  and  call  and  never  even  sits 
down  to  write  a  letter,  so  her  imperial  friend 
says,  without  constantly  being  sent  for  by  her 
mother.  Her  only  real  leisure  is  after  a  nine- 
fifteen  dinner  and  the  later  social  reunion  of  the 
royal  household  at  ten  o'clock  (every  one  stand- 
ing the  while) .  She  and  her  husband  then  go  to 
their  own  suite  of  rooms  at  11  p.  m.,  and  enjoy 
each  other's  society  and  their  absolute  freedom. 
The  Queen  then  regularly  settles  down  to  several 
hours  serious  work,  which  does  not  prevent  her 

89 


EMPHESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

from  being  up  betimes ;  and  it  behooves  her  ladies 
not  to  be  lagging  either.  If  she  makes  others 
work  hard,  she  at  least  sets  them  a  good  example. 
Every  state  document  passes  under  her  own  eyes 
and  is  thoroughly  mastered  by  her.  She  keeps 
well  up  in  current  English,  French  and  German 
literature,  and  is  an  excellent  linguist,  as  indeed 
are  all  the  other  members  of  the  royal  family. 

Princess  Beatrice  in  talking  to  the  Empress 
about  her  husband,  Prince  Henry,  and  of  Kai- 
ser William's  persistently  unkind  treatment  of 
him,  told  her  "auntie"  that  when  her  betrothed 
went  to  announce  his  prospective  marriage  at 
Berlin,  the  German  Empress,  in  audience,  kept 
him  standing  like  a  stranger  the  whole  time. 
Moreover,  when  because  of  his  betrothal  to  an 
English  Princess  he  sent  in  his  army  demission 
to  the  Kaiser,  Prince  Henry  waited  and  waited 
in  vain  for  the  document  to  be  ratified,  and  ap- 
parently his  communication  was  taken  no  notice 
of.  In  the  meantime,  the  day  fixed  for  the  wed- 
ding was  approaching  rapidly;  he  could  delay 
no  longer,  so  he  decided  to  start  for  England, 
preter  servient  a  la  Heine  without  the  Kaiser's 
ratification,  and  shortly  after  the  nuptial  cere- 
mony took  place. 

Kaiser  William  when  he  heard  of  it  was  per- 
fectly furious,  as  his  telegram  in  answer  to  the 

90 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Queen's  announcement  of  Beatrice's  marriage,  to 
the  German  court,  shows.  All  he  replied  to  his 
royal  and  imperial  grandmother  was:  "Je  viens 
d'apprendre  l'etonnante  nouvelle."  * 

His  wife  says  that  if  Prince  Henry  were  now 
to  return  to  Prussia  he  would  be  liable  to  five 
years'  imprisonment  as  a  deserter.  Princess 
Beatrice  further  told  the  Empress  that  he  feels 
intensely  the  rude  and  unkind  treatment  he  has 
been  subjected  to,  and  is  so  extremely  amiable 
and  unassuming  that  it  comes  doubly  hard  on 
him.  "If  he  were  a  criminal,"  she  added,  "they 
could  hardly  treat  him  more  scornfully!"  Prin- 
cess Beatrice  also  spoke  of  her  present  anxiety 
about  Prince  Alexander  of  Bulgaria,  Henry's 
brother.  His  relatives  quite  expect  that  he  will 
be  assassinated  some  day,  and  her  husband  has 
not  the  heart  to  open  the  telegrams,  so  she  does  it 
herself. 

The  Queen,  in  many  ways  so  domestic  and 
simple,  is  a  great  stickler  for  etiquette  and 
precedent,  and  certain  forms  of  deference  are 
insisted  upon  in  her  presence.  This  must  try 
her  ladies  in  more  ways  than  one,  for  possessing 
great  physical  strength  she  sees  no  reason,  for  in- 
stance, why  they  should  not,  well  or  ill,  stand 
almost  indefinitely  in  her  presence.  The  Em- 
press said  it  often  made  her  own  back  ache  sym- 

i"I  have  just  heard  the  astonishing  news." 

91 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

pathetically,  thinking  about  the  poor  maids  of 
honor  as  they  stood  up  hour  after  hour  behind 
the  Queen's  chair.  They  were  expected,  too, 
whatever  the  weather,  to  take  long  walks  with 
their  royal  mistress.1  The  robust  Queen  was  evi- 
dently unaware  of  the  hardships  these  more  deli- 
cate women  underwent,  for  nobody  could  have 
been  more  usually  considerate,  kind  or  sym- 
pathetic, than  she. 

As  an  instance  of  her  thoughtfulness,  the  Em- 
press was  much  surprised,  she  told  us,  the  first 
Friday  she  spent  at  Windsor,  at  finding  a  whole 
maigre  dinner  specially  prepared  for  her.  The 
service  was  so  quietly  and  beautifully  arranged 
that  the  many  courses  of  the  two  dinners  went  on 
simultaneously,  without  any  one  noticing  any- 
thing unusual  but  the  one  guest  to  whom  the 
special  dishes  were  presented.  The  table  deco- 
ration on  this  particular  day,  the  Empress  re- 
called, consisted  of  blocks  of  ice  in  the  center,  sur- 
rounded by  choice  cut  begonias. 

i  The  Queen  while  temporarily  lame  often  drove  in  her  private 
grounds,  both  at  Windsor  and  at  Osborne,  in  a  bath  chair  drawn 
by  a  favorite  donkey,  and  the  Empress  recalled  many  a  time 
when  she  had  walked  by  her  side.  One  day  in  particular  stands 
out.  As  the  conversation  between  the  two  ladies  waxed  more  and 
more  interesting,  the  Queen  unconsciously,  if  gradually,  acceler- 
ated the  speed  of  the  donkey,  till,  getting  no  response  to  what 
she  was  saying,  she  turned  in  surprise  to  find  even  the  quick- 
walking  Empress  speechless  with  lack  of  breath.  The 
ladies-in-waiting  cast  a  look  of  gratitude  on  the  Empress,  who, 
gasping  for  breath,  explained  the  situation. 

92 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Here  is  another  anecdote  lately  told  the  Em- 
press by  the  Queen,  herself,  in  course  of  conver- 
sation, and  which  her  imperial  guest  brought 
back  to  us.  It  shows  the  Queen's  independence 
of  character,  willingness  to  abandon  precedent 
when  it  suited  her.  Very  fond  of  primroses,  and 
finding  none  in  the  royal  gardens,  she  sent  word 
to  have  some  planted.  The  gardeners,  the  Queen 
said,  made  many  objections,  and  finding  shortly 
afterward  that  her  wishes  had  not  yet  been  car- 
ried out  she  despatched  a  royal  messenger  to 
inquire  the  reason.  "I  suppose  Queen  Anne  had 
none,"  she  said  to  the  Empress,  "so  they  did  not 
think  it  proper  for  me  to  have  any;  but  I  sent 
them  word  promptly  that  Queen  Victoria  would 
have  some — and  she  did" 

Tuesday,  March  9.  Today  at  lunch  the  Em- 
press showed  us  how  the  Queen  eats  her  orange, 
and  advised  us  to  imitate  her, — cutting  a  small 
hole  in  the  top,  removing  the  central  pith  with 
a  very  sharp  knife,  and  then  scooping  out  the 
juicy  pulp  with  a  spoon,  leaving  the  rind  intact. 
Since  the  Queen  eats  it  thus,  none  of  her 
ladies  would  dare  depart  from  the  conventional 
way,  unless  encouraged  to  do  so  by  Her  Maj- 
esty— who,  to  their  regret,  does  not  so  encourage 
them. 

The  girls  and  Mme.  Le  Breton  went  to  a  con- 
cert.    I  drove  into  Aldershot  to  make  some  in- 

93 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

quiry  for  the  Empress  from  Father  Bellord,1  one 
of  the  army  chaplains.  A  long,  cold  drive 
through  the  North  and  South  camps  and  past 
all  the  barracks.  After  a  warming  cup  of  after- 
noon tea  with  the  Empress,  she  took  me  into  the 
cabinet  de  travail,  where  I  had  a  long,  interesting 
talk  with  her. 

She  told  me  another  story  apropos  of  Windsor, 
about  an  impromptu  visit  the  Empress  of  Aus- 
tria paid  there  some  years  ago.  Empress  Eliza- 
beth arrived  one  Sunday  unannounced,  while  all 
the  Queen's  household  was  attending  service. 
Every  one  was  in  a  state  of  excitement  as  to  what 
should  be  done  under  these  unusual  circum- 
stances. Divine  service  could  not  be  interrupted, 
neither  could  the  Austrian  Empress  be  ignored. 
She  had  appeared  suddenly  on  foot  with  a  suite 
of  fifteen  persons,  and  remained  walking  about 
the  grounds  until  the  important  members  of  the 
distracted  court  had  collected  their  wits.  After 
some  cogitation  the  Queen  left  the  chapel,  went 
down  alone  to  receive  her  inconsiderate  and  un- 
ceremonious guest  and  persuaded  her  to  enter  the 
castle.  The  Empress  of  Austria's  large  New- 
foundland dog  followed  into  the  drawing-room 
and  jumped  up  on  the  sofa  beside  the  Queen,  to 
the  secret  delight  of  the  unconventional  Austrian 
monarch  and  the  intense  discomfiture  of  the  punc- 

i  Later  on  Bishop  of  Gibraltar,  who  has  since  died. 

94 


DAILY  EVENTS 

tilious  Queen  of  England.  The  animal,  so  Em- 
press Eugenie  said,  snarled  every  time  its  mis- 
tress was  spoken  to,  but  Queen  Victoria,  who  it 
appears  dislikes  large  dogs  in  the  house,  had  to 
submit  to  the  discomfiture  out  of  politeness. 
This  story  was  told  her  by  the  Queen  herself,  and 
the  Empress  added :  "  This  was  the  Empress  of 
Austria's  way  of  paying  off  old  scores."  What 
she  meant  exactly  by  this  last  remark  I  do  not 
know. 

A  la  suite  of  this,  the  Empress  described  to  me 
an  interesting  ceremony  she  had  witnessed  years 
ago,  and  which  took  place  either  at  the  corona- 
tion, or  as  a  New  Year  celebration,  in  which 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  who  is  also  King  of 
Hungary,  took  the  leading  part.  The  Emperor, 
sword  in  hand,  galloped  up  a  small  hill  or  mound, 
saluted  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  then 
rode  down  again.  The  cloak  worn  by  him  for 
this  quaint  ceremony  had  been  in  use  many  hun- 
dreds of  years,  and  only  Empresses  are  allowed 
to  mend  it;  my  Empress  says  it  was  shockingly 
cobbled  and  a  disgrace  to  some  of  the  imperial 
darners  of  bygone  days. 

Tuesday,  March  16.  Anniversary  of  Prince 
Imperial's  birthday.  He  would  have  been  thirty 
years  old  had  he  lived.  Very  sad  day  for  the 
Empress.     Loving  hands  have  put  quantities  of 

95 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

violets,  where  generally  one  modest  little  bunch 
is  to  be  seen,  in  front  of  his  picture  on  the  easel 
in  the  gallery.  Passing  by  it,  while  going  to  and 
fro  on  our  evening  walk,  the  Empress  told  us 
about  an  illness  of  his  at  the  same  age  as  the 
Dauphin  of  France,  and  drew  a  kind  of  parallel 
between  her  son  and  the  little  Fils  de  France. 
"Mon  pauvre  petit  gar^on,"  she  said,  "etait 
malade  ( tombe  d  'un  trapese  et  blesse  a  la 
hanche)  au  meme  age,  que  le  petit  Louis  XVII 
etait  aussi  gravement  malade.  Marie  Antoinette 
a  fait  tant  de  neuvaines  et  a  tant  fait  prier,  que 
lui  a  gueri, — mais  pour  son  malheur;  moi,  je 
n  'ai  jamais  une  seule  fois  demande  a  Dieu  avec 
les  autres  que  mon  Louis  guerisse!  Je  ne  pou- 
vais  pas! — Une  mere  ne  sait  souvent  pas  ce 
qu  'elle  demande  au  Ciel.  Mon  fils  a  gueri,  lui 
aussi, — cependant  il  aurait  mieux  valu  pour  lui 
qu'il  mourut  enfant,  au  lieu  de  guerir  pour — "  x 
Here  she  burst  out  into  smothered  sobs,  and  did 
not  finish  what  we  all  knew  she  meant  to  say, 

i  M  My  poor  little  boy  was  ill  —  he  had  fallen  from  a  trapezium 
and  had  injured  his  hip, —  at  about  the  same  age  that  the  little 
Louis  XVII  had  also  had  a  dangerous  illness.  Marie  Antoinette 
made  so  many  novenas  and  had  so  many  prayers  offered  up  that 
he,  Louis  XVII,  was  cured  —  but  for  his  own  misfortune.  I 
never  once,  with  all  the  rest  of  the  people,  asked  God  to  cure  my 
Louis  —  I  could  not !  A  mother  often  does  not  know  what  she  is 
asking  of  Heaven.  My  son  recovered  also  —  it  would  have  been 
better  for  him,  however,  if  he  had  died  in  childhood  rather  than 
recover  to — " 

96 


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DAILY  EVENTS 

— "live  to  meet  a  savage  death  among  Zulus!" 
She  told  us  also  of  her  growing  feeling,  since  her 
son's  death,  of  devotion  to  the  Guardian  Angels, 
of  her  gratitude  toward  them,  and  the  comfort  it 
is  to  her,  to  feel  that  they  at  least  were  with  her 
boy  when  he  was  abandoned  and  dying.  And, 
later  on,  talking  of  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries, 
she  said:  "Je  suis  en  somme  contente  que  les 
Tuileries  aient  brule,1  car  tous  les  derniers  en- 
fants  nes  dans  ce  Palais  ont  ete  malheureux — 
le  pauvre  petit  Louis  XVII;  Napoleon  II  (Roi 
de  Rome) ; — mon  fils."  2  She  was  not  afraid  of 
death,  she  explained,  and  she  looked  forward 
with  joy  to  being  reunited  to  those  who  had  gone 
before  her.  "C  'est  la  foi,  qui  donne  le  courage 
de  mourir  [It  is  faith  which  gives  us  the  courage 
to  die]."  She  was  glad  to  feel  her  son  had  been 
a  thoroughly  good  young  man,  that  she  had  no 
doubt  whatever  of  his  being  in  heaven.  "Si  je 
pensais  que  mon  fils  ne  fut  pas  au  Ciel, — je  ne 
desirerais  pas  y  aller," — and  noticing  me  draw  in 

i  In  one  of  the  vitrines  the  Empress  showed  me  one  day  a  small 
delicate  porcelain  statuette  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  which  used  to 
be  in  her  bedroom  at  the  Tuileries,  and  which,  in  a  wonderful 
way,  had  escaped  the  flames  and  the  falling  debris  of  the  burning 
palace.  Loving  hands  had  found  it  in  some  nook  protected  by  a 
fallen  column,  and  restored  it  to  its  former  owner. 

2  "I  am  after  all  glad  that  the  Tuileries  was  burned  down — 
for  all  the  later  children  born  in  that  palace  were  unfortunate, 
the  poor  little  Louis  XVII,  Napoleon  II  (Roi  de  Rome)  —  and 
my  own  son!" 

97 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

my  breath  in  quiet  horror,  she  added :  "C  'est 
peut-etre  terrible  a  dire,  mais  franchement  ce  ne 
serait  alors  pas  le  Ciel  pour  moi."  x 

Wednesday,  March  17.  His  Excellency  the 
Marques  de  Casa  la  Iglesia,  Spanish  ex-am- 
bassador, lunched  here.  The  girls  were  de- 
lighted to  hear  and  speak  to  a  Spaniard  again. 

In  the  evening  apropos  of  various  health  re- 
sorts the  Empress  and  Mme.  Le  Breton  told 
us  their  experiences  in  Holland  with  Dr.  Metz- 
ger,  to  whom  they  had  gone  for  treatment  for 
rheumatism.  World-renowned  for  his  wonder- 
ful cures  by  massage,  with  more  patients  than 
he  could  personally  attend  to,  and  an  autocrat 
by  nature,  he  would  not  waste  time  going  to  the 
bedside  of  any  sick  person.  High  or  low,  there- 
fore, journeyed  thither  to  him,  and  at  his  hospital 
in  Amsterdam  he  gathered  a  motley  crowd — em- 
perors, kings,  breadwinners,  beggars,  were  all 
treated  alike  by  the  doctor,  who,  though  kind- 
heartedness  itself,  handled  them  very  roughly. 

The  Empress  told  us  how  the  patients  had 
to  wait  their  turn  in  order  of  arrival,  in  a  series 
of  little  cubicles  open  at  the  top,  and  how  nervous 
it  made  her  as  she  heard  Metzger  coming  along 
from  one  compartment  to  another  and  getting 

i u  If  I  thought  my  son  were  not  in  Heaven,  I  should  not  wish 
to  go  there. —  It  is  perhaps  terrible  to  say  so,  but  frankly,  it 
would  not  then  be  Heaven  for  me." 

98 


DAILY  EVENTS 

nearer  and  nearer,  his  progress  along  the  corri- 
dor being  marked  by  the  screams  of  the  sufferers 
under  his  skilful  but  rough  hand.  At  last,  after 
a  few  days,  she  could  stand  it  no  longer  and  got 
worked  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  nervous  tension 
that  she  feared  she  would  have  to  give  up  the 
treatment  altogether.  After  several  interviews, 
however,  between  the  famous  masseur,  M.  Pietri 
and  Mme.  Le  Breton,  and  on  account  of  excep- 
tional circumstances,  Metzger  at  last  consented 
to  a  slight  change,  a  wonderful  and  unusual  con- 
cession. For  the  remainder  of  the  course  Her 
Imperial  Majesty  was  allowed  to  take  preced- 
ence over  the  other  patients ;  she  was  always  put 
into  the  first  cubicle  and  was  thus  spared  the 
misery  of  daily  suspense. 

Metzger  charged  one  uniform  fee  and  that 
a  very  modest  one,  to  rich  and  poor  alike.  But 
he  always  welcomed,  from  those  who  could  afford 
it,  donations  for  his  hospital  and  needy  cases, 
and  most  of  his  patients  in  their  gratitude  gave 
generously. 

Thursday,  March  18.  Sir  Evelyn  and  Lady 
Wood,  Major  Parsons  and  the  Marquise  de  la 
Valette,  lunched  here.1     Dr.  Scott  came  after 

i  H.  I.  M.  was  agitated  lest  Sir  Evelyn  and  Lord  Wolsey 
should  by  some  coincidence  arrive  on  the  same  day;  they  were 
both  expected  about  this  time.  They  are  rivals,  if  not  open  ene- 
mies, she  says,  and  the  meeting  at  her  table  would  be  awkward 
for  all. 

99 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

lunch  and  accompanied  us  to  the  gymnasium. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  with  his  eldest  son,  Prince 
Albert  Victor,  called  on  the  Empress  in  the  after- 
noon. 

During  our  evening  walk,  mentioning  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  visit  of  the  afternoon,  Her  Im- 
perial Majesty  spoke  disapprovingly  of  his  great 
severity  toward  his  son,  who  is  stationed  at  Alder- 
shot.  The  other  young  officers  of  his  regiment 
are  allowed  to  go  off  shooting  and  have  occa- 
sional days  off,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  for  Prince 
Albert.  Never  a  single  day  away  from  his  regi- 
ment, except  to  be  made  use  of  in  opening  some 
public  institution,  or  doing  some  of  those  things 
the  royal  family  get  such  a  dose  of.  His  mother 
fears  that  so  much  severity  may  make  her  boy 
hate  the  army,  and  have  a  bad  influence  on  him. 

Monday,  March  22.  General  Lord  and  Lady 
Wolsey,  Mme  de  Arcos,  Mrs.  Vaughan  and  her 
niece  lunched  here.  We  showed  the  latter  all 
over  the  house  and  grounds.  The  Due  de  Bas- 
sano  left  here  at  10:19  for  London  en  route  to 
Paris,  for  a  two  months'  leave  of  absence. 

Wednesday,  March  24.  The  Empress  went 
up  to  London.  She  told  us  on  her  return  about 
her  crossing  Hyde  Park  just  as  the  Queen's  pro- 
cession happened  to  pass.  A  policeman,  recog- 
nizing her,  got  a  good  place  for  her  carriage  to 
stand,  saying,  "I  will  arrange  it  all  for  your 

100 


DAILY  EVENTS 

'Ighness."  He  returned  shortly  after — having 
given  the  necessary  orders — adding  with  much 
genuine  unction,  "I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,  Ma- 
dame." 

Speaking  of  this  little  incident,  brought  out 
several  reminiscences  in  our  evening  conversation. 
It  would  seem  that  it  was  often  those  to  whose 
gratitude  she  had  the  most  claim,  who  proved  to 
be  totally  lacking  in  nice  feeling;  while  on  the 
contrary  she  often  met  with  gratitude  from  un- 
expected quarters,  as  the  following  examples 
show. 

In  passing  through  Paris  some  years  ago,  the 
Empress  told  us  she  went  over  much  of  the  same 
route  she  had  taken  during  the  eventful  flight 
from  the  capital  in  1870.  Many  of  the  officials 
recognized  her;  they  looked  carefully  round  first 
to  see  if  they  were  observed,  and  when  reassured, 
saluted  her  openly  as  of  old.  A  woman  at  the 
railway  station  pressed  up  close  to  her  one  day, 
and  in  a  touching  way  rapidly  kissed  the  hem 
of  her  dress ;  then  disappeared  in  the  crowd  with- 
out a  word. 

Another  time  in  visiting  incognita  the  chateau 
at  Fontainebleau,  she  went  about  with  the  crowd, 
and  was  shown  over  the  different  apartments  by 
the  gardien.  At  last  they  came  to  some  room 
very  intimately  connected  with  her  son  (probably 
his  nursery),  and  turning  away  sadly,  she  gave 

101 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

a  last  wistful  look  back  before  having  to  leave  it. 
The  gardien  let  the  other  people  ahead  drift 
away,  and  gently  pushing  her  back  into  the  room 
closed  the  door,  whispering  to  her:  "Madame, 
je  reviendrai  tout  a  l'heure  [Madame,  I  will  re- 
turn in  a  moment]."  He  had  recognized  the 
widowed  mother  and  delicately  wanted  to  procure 
her  a  few  undisturbed  moments  with  her  memo- 
ries. 

A  man  at  the  Galerie  du  Louvre  came  up  to 
the  Princess  Mary  of  Cambridge  one  day,  and 
said  to  her:  "Etes-vous  anglaise?" — "Oui." 
— "Eh  bien,  vous  devez  alors  connaitre  notre  Im- 
peratrice.  Dites  lui  que  .  .  .  [naming  himself] 
se  souvient  d'elle."  * 

In  connection  with  these  anecdotes  it  might 
not  be  inappropriate  to  tell  a  somewhat  similar 
experience  of  my  own,  when  living  in  Paris  at 
the  end  of  1886.  It  showed  me  once  more  how 
the  memory  of  the  Empress,  and  even  more,  that 
of  the  Emperor,  lingers  still  undyingly  in  the 
minds  of  many  of  the  French.  Walking  down 
the  Champs  Elysees  one  day  with  M.  and  J.  de 
S.,  we  stopped  a  few  moments  in  front  of  a 
little  toy-stall  to  buy  some  trifle.     The  choice 

i  "  Are  you  English?  " — "  Yes." — "  Well,  then  you  must  know 
our  Empress!    Tell  her  that  .  .  .  thinks  of  her  still." 

102 


DAILY  EVENTS 

made,  I  handed  J.  a  one-franc  piece,  which  he 
tendered  to  the  very  sunburnt  and  wrinkled 
marchande.  She  scrutinized  the  coin  closely, 
turned  it  over  several  times  in  her  hands,  and 
just  as  I  thought  by  her  behaviour  she  might 
be  about  to  return  it  to  me  as  bad  currency,  she 
put  it  to  her  lips  and  began  kissing  it  vigorously, 
saying,  "Ah,  mon  cher  Empereur!  ma  chere  Im- 
peratrice! — Ah,  qu'ils  etaient  bons — ah,  helas! 
comme  tout  a  change  maintenant !" x  The 
woman  then  rambled  on  volubly,  making  a  great 
many  comparisons  between  the  Empire  and  the 
Republic;  told  us  how  the  Emperor  had  often 
in  the  past  stopped  at  her  little  stall  to  buy  some 
toy  for  the  Prince  Imperial,  and  had  always 
given  her  a  gold  piece  in  exchange  for  her  wares. 
"Ah, — lui — il  nous  aimait  bien,  nous  autres 
pauvres  [Ah,  he — he  loved  us  well,  we  poor 
things],"  she  said,  and  much  else  in  the  same 
strain. 

Having  sufficiently  drawn  out  her  sentiments 
by  listening  interestedly  to  her,  and  recognizing 
her  evident  devotion,  I  could  not  resist  the  pleas- 
ure of  telling  her  what  I  felt  would  please  and 

i  "  Ah,  my  dear  Emperor !  my  dear  Empress !  —  Ah,  how  good 
they  were!  —  Ah,  alas!  how  all  has  changed  now." 

103 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

agreeably  surprise  such  an  enthusiast,  namely, 
that  I,  who  casually  stood  before  her,  knew  her 
Empress  intimately,  and  that  I  had  only  a  few 
weeks  previously  left  the  hospitable  roof  of  Farn- 
borough  Hill.  At  this  my  marchande  could  not 
contain  her  astonishment  and  excitement,  began 
kissing  my  hands,  and  to  my  utter  surprise  and 
discomfiture  threw  herself  upon  my  neck  and 
wept  with  joy,  regardless  of  all  the  passers-by. 
After  that  her  stall  was  never  passed  by  us  with- 
out a  little  friendly  chat.  I  gave  her  a  few  vio- 
lets from  the  Prince's  and  Emperor's  tombs, 
which  made  her  supremely  happy  and  proud, 
and  we  were  always  sure  of  a  warm  welcome  from 
the  faithful  and  genuine  old  creature.  The  next 
visit  I  paid  to  Farnborough,  I  told  this  little 
story  to  the  Empress,  who  seemed  much  touched 
by  it. 

Saturday,  March  27.  H.  got  here  at  9:10 
A.  m.  I  went  to  meet  her  in  the  landau,  which 
had  just  returned  from  fetching  Mme.  de  Saulcy, 
who   arrived   on   a   visit    by   an   earlier   train. 

Sunday,  March  28.  Mme.  de  Saulcy  returned 
to  Paris  after  a  stay  of  two  days  only.  She  is 
an  old  friend  of  the  Empress's,  another  of  the 

104 


DAILY  EVENTS 

coterie  of  devoted  women — femme  si  distinguee 
du  spirituel  membre  de  VInstitut.  She  used  to 
be  a  good  deal  at  the  Tuileries  during  the  Em- 
pire. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill. 
April  2,  1886. 

In  spite  of  unpropitious  weather,  M.  De- 
tailleur,  the  Paris  architect  who  is  building  the 
beautiful  little  Memorial  Church,  crossed  the 
English  Channel  and  managed  to  arrive  here. 
All  day,  naturally,  the  conversation  turned  on 
plans  for  the  adjoining  monastery,  which  is  to 
be  commenced  at  once,  and  having  a  Benedic- 
tine brother,  I  was  constantly  appealed  to  by 
the  Empress  as  to  the  necessities  for  a  monastery ! 
Next  week  Princess  Beatrice  and  some  other 
princesses  are  expected  over  from  Windsor 
to  see  the  Empress.  If  they  come  to  luncheon 
we  shall,  of  course,  see  them;  if  only  for  a  call, 
perhaps  we  may  not.  However,  time  will  reveal, 
and  when  I  know  more  about  the  proposed  visit, 
I  will  write  you  word. 

Speaking  of  visits  from  royalty  in  general,  the 
Empress  said  this  evening  that  they  are  now  too 
ceremonious  for  her  to  enjoy.  She  hates  her 
daily  routine  being  interfered  with,  and  a  royal 
visit  involves  so  much  fuss.     The  princesses  are 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

all  extremely  amiable  and  nice,  but  in  her  pres- 
ent state  of  nerves  she  would  rather  they  stayed 
at  home,  excepting  always,  of  course,  Princess 
Beatrice,  for  "I  am  so  fond  of  her,"  she  said. 
Ordinary  visitors,  who  come  quietly  and  bring 
new  ideas,  are  always  welcome,  and  the  Empress 
is  as  interested  as  ever  in  any  new  scientific  theory 
or  curious  invention. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
April  6,  1886. 
My  letters  lately  have  been  only  hasty  scribbles 
with  little  news  in  them,  but  this  one  will  I  hope 
be  more  interesting,  as  I  have  to  tell  you  about 
the  royal  visit  which  took  place  yesterday.  On 
Saturday  we  heard  definitely  that  Princess  Bea- 
trice was  coming.  Sunday,  telegrams  kept  ar- 
riving all  day,  first  saying  that  the  royal  party 
would  come  by  carriage  from  Windsor, — then  by 
train, — and  then  again  later  the  hour  as  well  as 
the  route  were  altered.  After  a  good  many 
changes  of  plan  and  much  fuss  in  the  house, — 
servants  rushing  about,  putting  the  awnings  up 
and  the  carpets  down  at  the  entrance, — Princess 
Beatrice  with  Prince  Henry  of  Battenberg  and 
his  sister,  the  pretty  Countess  of  Erbach,  arrived 
by  special  saloon  train,  getting  here  about  one 
o'clock.     The  first  greetings  over,  the  Empress 

106 


DAILY  EVENTS 

went  out  with  her  guests  on  foot,  taking  them 
up  to  see  the  new  Memorial  Church,  and  return- 
ing about  2  p.  m.  for  luncheon.  We,  poor 
things,  who  had  breakfasted  very  lightly  at  8 
a.  m.,  were  dying  with  hunger,  and  while  wait- 
ing for  the  royal  visitors  to  take  off  their  things, 
wickedly  wished  them  back  at  Windsor,  or  even 
at  Jericho.  As  they  passed  up  the  gallery,  on 
their  way  to  the  dining-room,  they  made  a  slight 
pause,  and  the  Empress  presented  each  of  us 
separately  to  the  Princess,  her  husband  and  sis- 
ter. We  kissed  Princess  Beatrice's  hand,  and 
courtesied  to  her  companions  who  were  both  very 
nice.  The  Countess  is  extremely  distinguee, 
amiable  and  merry,  and  so  is  Prince  Henry. 
I  was  sitting  next  but  one  to  him  at  lunch,  and 
he  chatted  away  and  laughed  a  good  deal  with 
M.  and  myself.  Princess  Beatrice  was  very 
quiet  indeed,  and  seems  dull  and  out  of  spirits, 
"suppressed,"  the  Empress  says,  from  the  con- 
stant restraint  of  the  Queen's  presence.  She  was 
very  simply  dressed,  shabbily  I  might  even  say, 
as  her  mauve  woolen  tailor-made  dress  was  faded 
and  had  lost  its  first  bloom  of  youth. 

According  to  the  Empress,  Prince  Henry 
keeps  his  wife  (so  well  inured  herself  to  all  court 
etiquette)  always  on  thorns,  for  he  is  unconven- 
tional and  outspoken,  and  not  in  the  very  least 
awed  by  the  Queen,  as  her  own  children  appear 

107 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

to  be  on  the  surface.  At  the  risk  of  offending  his 
royal  mother-in-law  he  gives  his  opinion  frankly, 
whenever  he  finds  an  opportunity,  and  Princess 
Beatrice  never  knows  what  he  may  say  or  do  next. 
During  luncheon  two  telegrams  came  to  Princess 
Beatrice  from  "Mamma"  at  Windsor — giving 
the  latest  account  of  the  Duchess  of  Connaught's 
condition.  The  Duke,  it  appears,  is  in  a  great 
state  of  anxiety,  as  his  wife  is  seriously  ill.  Her 
weakness  is  something  appalling.  Even  lifting 
her  head  in  bed  makes  her  go  off  in  a  swoon, 
which  lasts  for  hours,  and  her  anxiety  to  get  well 
so  as  to  be  able  to  start  with  her  soldier-husband 
for  India  in  June  only  throws  her  back. 

The  royal  party  left  at  4:30,  after  having 
been  shown  the  house  and  its  treasures  by  the 
Empress  herself.  Again,  before  parting,  we 
kissed  Princess  Beatrice's  hand,  which  seemed  to 
embarrass  her,  but  as  we  had  previously  received 
our  instructions  the  Princess  had  to  fall  in  with 
the  program  as  well  as  we.  This  time  we  shook 
hands  with  the  others.  A  short  drive  took  them 
to  Farnborough  Station,  where  a  special  train 
was  waiting  to  convey  them  to  Ascot,  whence  they 
were  to  go  by  carriage  to  Windsor. 

Prince  Henry  was  most  amusing  at  lunch. 
Talking  about  his  idea  of  London,  he  told  us  how 
deadly  tired  he  was  and  how  he  hated  going  about 
continually  opening  this,  that  and  the  other  insti- 

108 


DAILY  EVENTS 

tution,  and  presenting  prizes  day  after  day.  He 
said  that  last  week,  driving  in  a  barouche  to  go 
to  Whitechapel,  one  of  the  horses  slipped  and 
fell,  and  during  quite  a  long  delay,  while  the  men 
were  getting  the  horse  on  to  its  legs  again,  there 
he  was,  surrounded  by  a  highly  aristocratic  East 
End  crowd!  What  made  it  most  awkward  was 
that  some  of  the  people  looked  very  black  at  him 
indeed,  and  some  few  made  faces,  shook  their 
fists  and  put  out  their  tongues  at  him.  He 
added,  "It  seemed  hardly  possible  in  decency  to 
bow  to  them  and  take  off  my  hat,  in  response 
to  a  tongue  half  a  yard  long,"  and  still  it  had  to 
be  done.  The  Empress,  in  conversation  about 
bowing  to  crowds  and  different  incidents  con- 
nected with  this  sort  of  salutation,  urged  its  im- 
portance on  the  young  people,  ending  with  some- 
thing like,  "Enfants,  c'est  comme  cela  qu'on 
gagne  les  cceurs  [Children,  that  is  the  way  to 
win  their  hearts] ."  To  which  Prince  Henry  re- 
sponded, smiling  and  thanking  his  hostess,  and 
then  addressing  his  wife :  "Entends  tu  Beatrice  ? 
— Je  te  dis  tou jours  que  ne  salues  pas  assez 
[Do  you  hear,  Beatrice? — I  am  always  telling 
you,  you  do  not  bow  enough] !" 

From  my  diary: 

After  dinner  and  during  our  evening  walk 
with  the  Empress,  talking  over  our  guests,  she 

109 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

began  speaking  about  gatherings  of  people  she 
had  seen  and  been  in,  and  dilated  specially  on 
the  great  mutability  of  a  French  crowd.  She 
told  me  about  a  certain  visit  to  Lyons,  August, 
1860,  and  the  procession  to  the  cathedral.  The 
authorities  begged  H.  I.  M.  not  to  go,  as  in  the 
unsettled  state  of  the  town  they  had  fears  for 
her  safety,  but  she  scorned  to  change  her  plan. 
It  proved  a  terrible  drive,  the  horses  walking  all 
the  way  uphill  in  the  midst  of  the  menacing  and 
gesticulating  crowds.  The  Empress  was  alone 
in  her  open  carriage  with  the  little  Prince  Im- 
perial, both  smiling  and  bowing  all  the  time,  till 
her  own  charm  and  his  baby  friendliness  finally 
conquered  the  sullen  populace,  and  so  completely, 
that  before  arriving  at  the  cathedral  it  had  gradu- 
ally veered  around  and  became  sufficiently  enthu- 
siastic to  take  the  horses  out  of  the  carriage,  and 
to  drag  it  proudly  and  exultingly  themselves. 
In  the  evening  the  crowds  were  cheering  so  vo- 
ciferously that  they  obliged  her  to  leave  the  offi- 
cial dinner  table  and  show  herself  on  a  balcony 
before  they  would  be  pacified. 

A  ball  was  given  that  night  at  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,  the  courtyard  of  which  was  covered  in 
with  huge  blocks  of  ice,  and  flowers  in  the  center, 
as  decorations.  The  heat  was  so  intense  that 
even  one  of  the  splendid,  six  foot  Cent-gardes  sol- 
diers in  his  gorgeous  uniform  fainted,  and  a  gen- 

110 


DAILY  EVENTS 

tleman  in  full  dress  got  into  the  fountain,  hoping 
to  revive  himself.  When  the  tired  Empress  at 
last  was  able  to  go  to  bed,  she  could  not  sleep 
for  the  noisy  demonstration  still  keeping  up  out- 
side. So  she  got  up,  took  a  lighted  candle  and 
appearing  in  flowing  robes  on  the  balcony,  bowed 
to  the  assembled  people, — and  then  blew  out  the 
candle.  Their  fancy  was  tickled  at  her  dramatic 
manner  of  bidding  them  good  night,  and  after  one 
more  rousing  cheer,  they  took  the  hint  and  retired 
quietly  to  their  homes. 

By  going  out  on  the  balcony,  overheated,  in 
response  to  the  clamor  of  the  people,  the  Empress 
told  us  she  caught  a  fearful  cold.  Prince  Na- 
poleon suggested  a  remedy, — snuffing  up  water 
and  opium.  It  was  most  efficacious,  but  a  yellow 
nose  all  the  rest  of  the  journey  was  the  unex- 
pected result. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill. 

On  Wednesday  the  seventh,  I  had  a  two  hours' 
drive  in  the  victoria  alone  with  the  Empress. 
She  was  so  delightful,  chatting  the  whole  time 
about  all  sorts  of  interesting  things.  She  in- 
quired very  particularly  about  you. 

She  gave  me  an  account  of  how  she  eluded 
Bismarck's  vigilance,  and  paid  a  visit  to  the  Em- 
peror in  the  castle  at  Wilhelmshohe  just  after 

111 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  war;  she  was  half-way  back  to  England  be- 
fore he  got  wind  of  the  proceeding.  Having 
first  telegraphed  to  ask  the  Chancellor's  per- 
mission to  visit  her  husband,  and  being  answered 
that  if  she  did,  she  might  be  liable  to  arrest  as  a 
prisoner  of  war — she  determined  nevertheless  to 
go  at  all  hazards.  She  drove  in  greatest  secrecy 
with  her  maid  and  the  Comte  Clary  from 
Chislehurst  to  London;  there  she  dismissed  car- 
riage and  attendant  and  went  into  the  waiting- 
room  alone,  while  Comte  Clary  bought  the 
tickets.  Reaching  Cologne  that  night,  they 
found  they  had  missed  the  connecting  train  and 
had  to  remain  in  the  waiting-room  until  the  next 
morning.  Finally  they  arrived  at  Wilhelmshohe 
and  presented  themselves  before  the  governor, 
who,  misled  by  her  matter-of-fact  boldness,  never 
doubted  but  that  the  Empress  and  her  escort  had 
permission  to  enter  the  fortress.  He  received  the 
travelers  very  courteously,  had  rooms  prepared 
for  them,  and  the  Empress  was  able  to  see  her 
husband  undisturbed  for  several  hours,  and  to 
talk  over  all  their  affairs  together  with  his  faith- 
ful friends,  Dr.  Conneau,  M.  Pietri  and  others, 
who  were  sharing  his  captivity  with  him.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  she  retired  to  her  room  soi-disant 
to  rest,  sending  word  to  the  governor  that  she 
would  like  a  pass  to  leave  the  castle  a  little  later 
on,  to  go  into  the  town  and  buy  a  few  necessaries 

112 


DAILY  EVENTS 

before  dinner.  The  polite  and  unsuspecting  gov- 
ernor granted  her  request  at  once  and  she  lost  no 
time,  but  started  off  immediately  with  Comte 
Clary,  having  already  quietly  taken  leave  of  her 
husband.  The  two  made  straight  for  the  station. 
There  they  inquired  eagerly,  when  the  very  first 
train  was  to  depart  and  where,  and  were  told — to 
Hanover,  which  seemed  a  long  way  around,  con- 
sidering London  was  their  destination,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it.  They  were  hungry,  not  hav- 
ing had  their  dinner,  but  they  did  not  dare  delay 
or  risk  recognition  by  trying  to  buy  food,  or 
necessaries,  though  they  had  not  so  much  as  a 
hand  bag  or  a  traveling  rug  between  them.  The 
night  set  in  bitterly  cold.  Regular  traffic  was 
suspended  at  the  wayside  stations,  where  they 
stopped  often,  and  they  had  to  walk  up  and  down 
to  keep  warm,  stepping  as  they  did  so  over  Ger- 
man soldiers,  who  were  sleeping  on  the  platforms 
while  waiting  for  their  trains.1 

In  the  railway  carriage,  she  and  the  Count  had 
much  difficulty  in  hiding  their  identity  from  in- 
quisitive and  excited  travelers,  who  insisted  upon 
trying  to  draw  them  into  conversation  about  the 
events  of  the  day,  fiercely  criticizing  the  policy  of 
the  French  Empire.  Afraid  to  show  their  own 
knowledge  of  affairs,  they  neither  dared  to  keep 

i  They  were  being  disbanded  after  the  war. 

113 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

too  much  aloof,  for  fear  of  exciting  suspicion. 
One  man  would  not  be  silenced ;  he  recommended 
hotels  to  the  mysterious  couple,  and  tried  in  every 
way  to  engage  them  in  conversation,  to  put  them 
off  their  guard,  and  to  discover  their  names. 

Several  times  they  were  taken  for  General  and 
Mme.  MacMahon,  and  at  The  Hague  were 
placed  in  a  most  awkward  dilemma  about  rooms. 
The  hotel-keeper,  taking  them  for  husband  and 
wife,  which  they  did  not  dare  deny  even  had  they 
been  able  to  make  themselves  understood  in 
Dutch,  and  the  hotel  being  overcrowded,  insisted 
upon  giving  them  one  room  together.  At  the  last 
gasp  they  barely  got  out  of  the  difficulty  by 
Comte  Clary's  explanation,  in  halting  language 
eked  out  by  many  gesticulations,  that  they  were 
brother  and  sister. 

They  walked  about  the  streets  for  some  time 
next  morning.  The  Empress  was  very  anxious 
to  have  speech  with  her  great  friend,  Queen 
Sophie  of  Holland,1  but  the  husband,  Wilhelm 
III,  was  such  an  irascible  man  that  H.  I.  M. 
feared  to  get  the  Queen  into  trouble  by  an  open 
visit,  and  so  the  travelers  began  casting  about  for 
some  way  of  making  their  presence  privately 
known  to  the  Queen. 

i  First  wife  of  Wilhelm  III,  formerly  Princess  of  Wurtemberg, 
and  first  cousin  to  Plon-Plon  and  Princesse  Mathilde  through 
Catherine  of  Wurtemberg,  wife  of  King  Jerome  (brother  of  Na- 
poleon I). 

114 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Comte  Clary  no  less  than  his  companion  looked 
so  travel-stained  and  shabby  that  he  was  refused 
admittance  to  the  castle,  when  he  inquired  for 
one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting,  known  to  him  and 
of  whom  he  meant  to  ask  aid  in  his  scheme.  They 
were  dejectedly  turning  away  wondering  what 
they  had  better  do,  when  luckily  the  'Queen's 
carriage  drove  past  and  although  she  had  not  the 
slightest  knowledge  of  the  Empress's  visit  to  The 
Hague,  she  had  with  one  swift  glance  recognized 
her  stately  form.  She  drove  on,  however,  seem- 
ingly oblivious  of  everything.  But  she  had  seen 
her,  and  on  arriving  home  made  it  known  that 
strangers  were  to  be  expected,  for  when  the 
shabby  couple  presented  themselves  a  second  time 
at  the  castle,  they  were  admitted  immediately,  al- 
though the  halberdier  evidently  did  not  like  their 
looks.  They  were  taken  up  a  small  back  stair- 
case to  the  private  apartments  of  the  Queen, 
where  the  Empress  had  a  comforting  talk  with 
her  friend.  Soon  the  Empress  heard  steps  ap- 
proaching, and  she  noticed  that  the  Queen, 
always  in  deadly  fear  of  her  tyrannical  husband, 
began  to  be  very  uneasy  and  restless.  The  Em- 
press said  she  herself  was  not  in  an  over-comfort- 
able situation,  when  King  Wilhelm  suddenly 
walked  in,  and  intensely  surprised  both  ladies  by 
his  great  and  unexpected  amiability  toward  both 
his  wife  and  her  visitor.     The  call  passed  off  most 

115 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

pleasantly,  and  when  it  came  to  an  end  the  King 
himself  gave  the  Empress  his  arm  and  conducted 
her  ceremoniously  down  the  grand  staircase,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  he  gave  her  the  roya*l  salute 
— a  kiss  on  both  cheeks — in  sight  of  the  bewil- 
dered halberdier. 

The  Empress  told  me  she  never  should  forget 
that  guard's  face  on  seeing  the  shabby  woman 
whom  he  had  so  recently  and  scornfully  repulsed, 
kissed  by  the  King,  by  which  token  he  knew  im- 
mediately that  she  must  be  a  sovereign.  His  ex- 
pression of  dismay  was  so  fear-laden  and  so 
ludicrous  that  the  Empress  burst  out  laughing 
in  spite  of  all  her  anxieties. 

Comte  Clary  and  she  got  back  to  London 
safely  from  this  trip,  and  reached  Chislehurst 
just  eight  days  after  leaving  it,  having  been  to 
bed  only  two  nights  out  of  the  eight,  nearly  all 
the  time  without  sufficient  food.  The  Empress 
said  she  had  managed  the  whole  so  quickly  that 
Bismarck  with  all  his  keenness  had  no  time  to  sus- 
pect, or  frustrate  her  plans. 

Before  the  end  of  our  drive  we  drifted  into 
talking  of  second  sight  and  kindred  subjects,  and 
the  Empress  told  me  about  Malvina,  the  old  ne- 
gress  who  had  come  over  from  the  Island  of  Mar- 
tinique with  Josephine  de  Beauharnais,  wife  of 
Napoleon  I,  and  lived  afterward  with  Queen 

116 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Hortense  at  Arenenberg  in  Switzerland,  and  who 
was  a  clairvoyant.  In  a  trance  one  day  during 
Prince  Louis  Napoleon's  absence  from  home 
(supposedly  on  a  hunting  trip),  M'alvina  became 
very  much  excited  and  called  out  suddenly  to 
her  mistress:  "Oh,  je  vois  le  Prince, — il  se 
trouve  dans  une  ville!  Je  vois  de  grandes  mai- 
sons!  ...  II  est  entoure  de  soldats!  Ah,  mon 
Dieu!  on  le  prend!"  *  This  all  turned  out  to  be 
true.  As  soon  as  there  was  time  for  the  ill  news 
to  travel,  Hortense  heard  that  her  son's  supposed 
hunting  trip  was  only  a  blind  in  order  to  get  off 
unhindered — a  subterfuge  to  save  her  anxiety  of 
suspense.  In  reality  he  had  hastily  gathered  a 
few  faithful  friends  about  him,  had  attempted 
the  coup  d'etat  of  Strassburg  which  failed  so  sig- 
nally, and  was  at  that  moment  a  prisoner. 

This  was  on  October  30,  1836.  Louis  Na- 
poleon was  condemned  by  the  French  govern- 
ment to  exile  and  banished  to  the  United  States. 
After  some  delay  he  was  taken  to  Lorient,  and 
there  embarked  on  the  frigate  Andromeda,  which 
sailed  November  21,  1836.  After  a  long  tour 
via  Rio  de  Janeiro  by  order  of  the  government, 
he  was  put  ashore  at  Norfolk  and  was  there  set 
at  liberty  March  30,  1837,  after  which  he  made 

i"Oh,  I  see  the  Prince  —  he  is  in  a  town!  —  I  see  tall  houses! 
He  is  surrounded  by  soldiers !    Ah,  God,  they  have  seized  him  I " 

117 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

his  way  up  to  New  York,  where  he  lived  some 
time. 

The  Empress  told  me  also  the  most  thrilling 
story  about  the  escape  of  Louis  Napoleon  later 
on,  from  the  fortress  of  Ham,1  where  he  had  spent 
several  years.  Without  tremendous  audacity, 
coolness,  and  that  feeling  of  strong  belief  in  "his 
star"  that  all  would  end  rightly,  he  could  never 
have  dreamed  of  such  a  madly  rash  attempt,  nor 
have  succeeded  in  getting  out  safely  in  spite  of 
all  the  jailers  and  sentries  guarding  him.1 

The  following  story  of  a  strange  coincidence  I 
heard  at  Farnborough,  but  not  from  the  Em- 
press's own  lips.  It  touched  on  the  chance  which 
gave  her  one  day  (November  12,  1836),  as  a 
young  girl,  her  first  glimpse  of  her  future  hus- 
band. Taking  her  dancing  lesson  with  the 
daughter  of  the  Prefet  de  Police  of  Paris,  M. 
Delessert,  the  children  were  allowed  to  go  to  the 
window  to  look  out  and  see, — crossing  the  court- 
yard of  the  prefecture, — a  prisoner  just  brought 
in  for  interrogation.  It  was  Louis  Napoleon, 
under  arrest  after  the  Strassburg  affair. 

1  He  had  been  imprisoned  there  after  a  second  coup  d'etat, 
which  failed  like  the  first.  It  was  called  L'affaire  de  Boulogne, 
August  6,  1840,  and  brought  much  ridicule  on  all  concerned. 

118 


DAILY  EVENTS 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill. 

On  Tuesday,  I  think  I  told  you,  we  had  some 
Parisians  to  lunch,  Count  and  Countess  and 
Mile,  de  Pourtales.  The  mother  used  to  be  a  re- 
nowned beauty  sous  VEmpire,  and  is  still  very 
fascinating,  so  at  least  the  Empress  thinks,  but 
we  three  girls  talking  it  over  afterward  all  agreed 
that  the  Empress  herself  was  far  more  charming. 
All  visitors  who  are  not  royal  are  generally  shown 
over  the  house  by  us  three,  so  I  am  beginning  to 
be  a  regular  walking  catalogue  of  the  different 
historical  curios  in  the  glass  cases,  the  paintings, 
etc. 

M.  says  her  aunt  told  her  today  she  was  going 
up  to  see  Dr.  Chepmell  next  week,  so  if  I  accom- 
pany them  and  the  Empress  should  take  the  girls 
sight-seeing  somewhere,  I  shall  avail  myself  of 
the  chance  of  paying  you  a  visit.  At  any  rate 
Easter  is  so  near  at  hand  now,  that  I  suppose  we 
shall  meet  soon.  Young  Prince  Napoleon  Mu- 
rat '  is  coming  from  his  Jesuit  college  at  Canter- 
bury, to  spend  his  holidays,  and  I  may  be  needed 
here,  but  the  Empress  with  her  usual  kindness 
and  thoughtf  ulness  will  manage,  I  am  sure,  to  let 
me  spend  at  least  a  few  days  with  you  in  London. 

The  other  day  the  Empress  lent  me  a  most  in- 

i  Louis    Napoleon   Charles    Achille   Murat,    born    1870,   son  of 
Prince  Achille  Murat  (grandson  of  the  King  of  Naples). 

119 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

teresting  book  to  read.  It  is  one  the  Queen  sent 
her  lately,  on  the  title  page  of  which  Her  Majesty 
has  written,  in  her  usual  clear,  bold  writing,  the 
following  words : 

Pour  ma  chere  Soeur, 
l'Imperatrice  Eugenie, 

de  la  part  de  son  amie  devouee, 

Victoria,  R.  I. 

The  volume  is  very  prettily  bound  in  blue  mo- 
rocco, and  contains  the  account  (taken  from  the 
Queen's  diary)  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress's 
visit  to  Windsor  in  April,  1855,  and  the  subse- 
quent return  visit  of  Queen  Victoria  and  Prince 
Albert, — "Vicky  and  Bertie"  as  she  calls  them 
always — with  a  huge  suite  to  Paris,  the  following 
year.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  it  has  inter- 
ested me,  knowing  personally  so  many  of  the 
people  mentioned,  besides  being  acquainted  with 
a  great  many  others  by  name,  hearing  them  so 
constantly  referred  to  here.  I  don't  think  much 
of  the  Queen's  style,  it  is  decidedly  simple  and 
commonplace,  but  she  has  said  some  very  pretty 
and  true  things  about  the  Empress,  of  whom  she 
repeats  over  and  over  again  that  she  finds  her 
most  charming — and  with  whom,  she  evidently 
was  quite  fascinated  from  the  first,  in  spite  of 
preconceived  prejudices  to  which  she  owns  quite 
frankly. 

120 


DAILY  EVENTS 

In  offering  me  the  Queen's  journal  to  read, 
and  speaking  of  it  and  the  visits  themselves,  the 
Empress  told  me  incidentally,  that  things  were 
done  on  a  much  more  lavish  scale  for  England's 
sovereigns  in  France,  than  for  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  in  England.  One  ball  alone  given  at 
Versailles  for  Queen  Victoria  cost  300,000  francs. 

The  Empress  also  told  me,  at  the  same  time, 
about  another  fancy  ball  at  the  Tuileries,  in 
which  all  the  gods  of  Olympus  were  represented. 
Francois  de  Noailles,  son  of  the  Due  and  Duch- 
esse  de  Mouchy,  who  was  only  a  very  little  boy  at 
the  time,  represented  Cupid.  In  the  middle  of 
the  entertainment  the  poor  child  got  so  tired  and 
sleepy  that  he  cried  and  refused  to  personate  the 
love-god  any  more,  and  had  to  be  sent  off  to  bed. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
April  11,  1886. 
Just  a  few  words  with  some  violets,  which  we 
have  been  picking  in  the  walled-in  garden  near 
the  greenhouse  since  tea,  which  Major  and  Mrs. 
Scott,  and  General  and  Mrs.  Byrne  took  with  us. 
We  made  a  bouquet  for  the  Empress,  one  for 
Mme.  Le  Breton,  a  buttonhole  for  M.  Pietri,  and 
a  large  bunch  each  for  ourselves.  I  am  sending 
you  mine. 

121 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

After  picking  the  violets,  we  also  took  a  few 
cuttings  from  some  historic  willow  trees.  These 
trees  as  small  cuttings  were  brought  back  with 
great  care  by  the  Empress,  when  on  her  journey 
to  Zululand  in  1880,  she  stopped  at  St.  Helena. 
She  cut  them  with  her  own  hand  from  the  famous 
willow  tree  under  which  Napoleon  I  used  fre- 
quently to  sit  and  meditate — and  they  have  now 
grown  into  quite  large  trees.  A  peach  slip 
brought  from  the  Cape  at  the  same  time,  has  also 
reached  mature  growth,  but  a  peculiarity  about 
it  is  that  it  insists  upon  keeping  to  its  orig- 
inal African  blooming  time  (about  midwinter 
here). 

In  seeing  the  willows  and  speaking  of  them,  the 
Empress  gave  her  personal  reminiscences  of  St. 
Helena.  She  told  us  her  ship  The  German 
touched  there  for  a  few  days  on  the  way  out  from 
England  to  Zululand.1  She  described  to  us  her 
reception  on  the  island,  and  remarked  how 
strange  it  was  that  she  should  be  the  first  and 

i  The  Prince  Imperial's  funeral  had  taken  place  on  July  12, 
1879,  a  short  time  before  my  arrival  at  Chislehurst.  1  remember 
the  impression  made  upon  me  one  morning  after  mass,  the  fol- 
lowing spring  in  the  little  Chislehurst  church,  at  seeing  suddenly 
a  white  hand  coming  out  of  the  darkness  and  grasping  the  open 
iron-work  door  of  the  Prince's  mortuary  chapel,  where  his  leaden 
coffin  was  resting  covered  with  wreaths.  It  was  the  Empress  Eu- 
genie. She  was  inside  making  a  farewell  visit  to  her  son's  grave, 
and  praying  there,  before  embarking  for  the  Cape,  where  she 
was  going  to  visit  the  scene  of  his  death,  and  find  out  all  she 
could  about  his  last  moments. 

122 


DAILY  EVENTS 

only  Bonaparte  to  visit  St.  Helena  since  Na- 
poleon I's  captivity  there.  On  reaching  the  port 
the  Empress  was  met  by  an  old  lady  *  who  pre- 
sented her  with  a  bunch  of  violets,  telling  her  that 
as  a  little  girl  she  had  done  the  same  thing  for 
Napoleon  I  when  he  arrived  at  The  Briars,  where 
he  stayed  as  a  guest  while  "Longwood"  was  being 
made  habitable  for  him  by  the  British  govern- 
ment. The  old  lady  gave  the  Empress  many  in- 
teresting details  about  the  royal  prisoner,  whom 
she  had  seen  a  great  deal  of,  and  remembered 
well. 

The  Empress  said  that  portions  of  the  island 
are  lovely,  but  Longwood  House  and  its  environs 
dull  and  uninteresting.  The  only  part  in  which 
the  Emperor  was  allowed  to  roam  freely  was  a 
bare  arid  space  like  the  bed  of  a  crater,  which  it 
probably  had  been,  and  shut  in  on  all  sides.  In 
front  of  his  dwelling  Napoleon,  who  was  passion- 
ately fond  of  flowers,  had  planted  a  field  full  of 
pink  geraniums,  which  he  cultivated  himself. 
He  was  given  permission  to  ride,  but  finding  him- 
self always  closely  watched  and  followed,  he  gave 
up  availing  himself  of  the  privilege,  such  as  it 
was.     Sir  Hudson  Lowe  refused  him  the  use  of 

i  Evidently  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Balcombe  Abell,  for,  the  account 
she  gives  in  her  book,  Recollections  of  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena 
(1844),  which  I  have  lately  read,  corresponds  almost  exactly  with 
every  detail  the  Empress  told  me  that  old  lady  had  given  her  in 
1880. 

123 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Plantation  House,  wishing  to  occupy  it  him- 
self. Longwood  House,  the  Empress  said,  was  a 
low  wooden  building,  very  much  like  the  officers' 
camp-huts  at  Aldershot,  and  wretchedly  fur- 
nished. The  Government  House  on  the  contrary 
was  splendid,  surrounded  by  luxuriantly  fertile 
land.  When  Napoleon  became  seriously  ill,  the 
French  asked  that  he  might  be  removed  to  the 
better  dwelling  of  the  two,  but  this  was  again  re- 
fused. The  Empress  confided  to  me  several 
times  how  keenly  she  felt  England's  ungenerous 
attitude  toward  a  fallen  foe. 

The  climate  of  St.  Helena  the  Empress  found 
delightful,  and,  according  to  the  old  lady,  storms 
were  almost  unknown.  Never  in  her  recollec- 
tion, so  she  told  the  Empress,  had  there  been  a 
violent  storm,  until  the  day  of  Napoleon's  death. 
Napoleon's  favorite  walk  was  by  a  little  stream, 
the  water  of  which  he  drank  and  thought  it  bene- 
fited him.  It  ran  through  a  grove,  the  willows 
near  which  he  was  buried  two  days  after  his  death, 
and  where  his  body  remained  till  removed  to 
France  and  entombed  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine, 
— that  river  which,  in  his  own  words,  he  ''loved  so 
well."  When  death  released  Napoleon  I  from 
his  captivity  on  May  5,  1821,  Longwood  House 
was  shut  up  and  dismantled.  At  the  time  of  the 
Empress's  visit,  there  remained  in  the  death 
chamber  only  a  railing  around  the  place  where  the 

124 


DAILY  EVENTS 

great  man's  bed  had  been,  and  a  bust  in  the  center 
with  many  wreaths  surrounding  it. 

From  a  letter: 

Tuesday. 
On  Saturday  we  had  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  to 
lunch.  He  used  to  write  for  the  Times,  and  the 
Empress  says  he  was  merciless  toward  herself  and 
her  husband  in  1870.  He  has  a  charming  little 
wife,  an  Italian,  daughter  of  the  Countess  Mal- 
vezzi,  who  used  formerly  to  be  invited  to  the 
Tuileries  and  the  house  parties  at  Compiegne. 
Mr.  Russell  is  a  most  intelligent  man,  and  enter- 
tained us  mightily  the  whole  of  lunch.  He  it  was 
who  wrote  those  interesting  descriptive  articles 
on  Ischia  at  the  time  of  the  disaster  there  some 
years  ago.  He  had  a  narrow  escape  himself, 
leaving  the  island  only  a  few  hours  before  the  oc- 
currence of  the  earthquake,  which  swallowed  up 
all  his  friends. 

Wednesday,  April  14.  Lunch  at  11 :30.  The 
Empress  went  to  London  on  business  with  M. 
Pietri,  and  we  girls  took  a  drive  to  Aldershot 
where  we  saw  two  races;  the  horse  which  was 
just  winning,  stumbled  in  leaping  the  last  hurdles, 
threw  its  rider,  and  fell  on  him.  Dr.  Scott,  who 
was  with  us,  ran  off  at  once  to  offer  his  assistance. 

125 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Thursday,  April  15.  Before  returning  home 
on  Wednesday  from  London,  the  Empress  went 
to  Marshall  and  Snellgrove's  and  chose  some  very 
pretty  white  dinner  dresses  for  the  girls,  and  yes- 
terday after  dinner  she  was  telling  us  about  all 
the  pretty  things  she  had  seen.  While  I  was 
dressing  this  morning  there  came  a  knock  at  my 
door  and  in  walked  Mme.  Pelletier,  saying  Her 
Majesty  had  sent  her  to  take  my  measurements, 
that  she  might  also  choose  me  a  pretty  dinner 
dress  at  Marshall's,  and  wanted  to  know  what 
color  I  preferred.  The  Empress  meant  to  give 
this  as  a  surprise  Easter  egg,  but  Mme.  Pelletier 
was  obliged  to  tell  me  beforehand  because  of  the 
needed  measurements. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
April  16,  1886. 
The  week  has  gone  so  quickly,  that  here  is 
Friday  evening  and  I  have  not  written  you  in 
time;  I  fear  you  will  be  anxious.  The  dinner 
gong  has  sounded  already  and  we  are  all  wait- 
ing, but  fortunately  for  me  the  Empress  has  been 
busy  with  M.  Pietri,  who  starts  for  Paris  tomor- 
row morning,  and  she  has  only  this  minute  gone 
up  to  dress.  I  shall  just  have  time  to  scribble 
this  and  send  it  off  as  it  is,  without  any  further 
news  though,  as  H.  I.  M.  positively  dresses  in 

126 


DAILY  EVENTS 

five  minutes  (we  have  more  than  once  timed  her) 
— helas,  here  she  comes ! 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
Sunday,  May  2,  1886. 
It  is  now  a  quarter  past  four  and  as  yet  I  have 
not  had  a  minute  to  write  to  you,  for  after  church 
this  morning  we  went  out  into  the  woods  till 
lunch;  immediately  after  which  the  Empress 
asked  me  to  trace  out  some  plans  of  houses  from 
a  book  she  has  for  her  architect  in  Paris.  I  have 
only  just  this  minute  finished,  and  must  hurry 
that  this  may  leave  tonight.  I  thought  so  much 
of  you,  dear  G.,  during  the  return  journey,  and 
wondered  yesterday  how  you  were  getting  on. 
Mr.  Wilmot's  book  about  South  Africa  and  the 
Zulu  war,  which  was  given  me  to  read  in  the  train 
on  starting,  is  most  interesting.  I  read  the  chap- 
ters about  the  Prince  Imperial's  tragic  death  and 
the  subsequent  court-martial  of  Captain  Carey. 
Arrived  here  safely  about  six  o'clock,  and 
found  every  one  glad  to  see  me  back.  The 
Empress  I  did  not  meet  till  dinner,  and  then  she 
inquired  very  kindly  after  you,  and  wanted  to 
know  all  the  London  gossip,  etc.  She  said,  in 
fun,  that  it  was  shameful  of  me  not  to  bring  back 
a  large  stock  of  news  from  the  capital  to  "nous 
autres  pauvres  campagnards  [to  us  poor  country 

127 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

folk]."  They  are  rather  dull  down  here  and 
much  in  need  of  new  faces  on  the  scene,  and  a 
change  of  ideas.  Visitors  will  be  hailed  with  de- 
light by  all  and  several  are  expected  soon,  I  hear. 
In  telling  how  deadly  monotonous  the  country 
could  be,  the  Empress  remarked  that  she  thor- 
oughly realized  now  the  truth  of  the  saying,  which 
some  old  aunt  of  hers  used  frequently  to  repeat 
in  her  childhood,  that  anybody  who  lived  buried 
deep  in  the  country,  away  from  all  communica- 
tion with  town  and  the  intellectual  life  going  on 
there,  after  a  time  became  bete,  sale  et  gourmand. 
They  would  first  stagnate  mentally,  then  become 
careless  in  their  clothes  and  habits,  and  finally 
greedy,  looking  forward  to  meals  as  events  of  un- 
due importance  in  the  monotony  of  the  day. 

Wednesday,  May  5.  The  Empress  was  born 
sixty  years  ago  today.  No  reference  to  the  anni- 
versary was  made,  as  birthdays  are  not  in  favor 
here.  One  evening,  however,  some  time  ago,  the 
Empress  in  speaking  of  her  chequered  career, 
had  already  told  us  about  her  coming  into  the 
world  in  the  .midst  of  an  earthquake,  exactly  five 
years  after  Napoleon  I  had  closed  his  eyes  on  the 
world  she  was  entering.  "La  nature  meme  sem- 
blait  vouloir  des  le  commencement  rendre  ma  vie 
orageuse!"  was  her  comment.1 

i "  Even  Nature  herself  seemed  to  wish  from  the  beginning  to 
conspire  in  making  my  life  a  stormy  one." 

128 


CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AT  CHISLEHURST 


INTERIOR  OF  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AT  CHISLEHURST 


DAILY  EVENTS 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  5, 1886. 

It  is  after  tea  time  and  they  are  all  gone  out 
for  a  drive  in  the  various  carriages,  but  not  hav- 
ing had  a  minute  to  myself  for  ever  so  long  and 
wanting  to  answer  your  two  letters,  I  have  re- 
mained behind,  and  am  now  sitting  outside  en- 
joying the  fine  weather  and  the  lovely  view.  We 
simply  live  out  of  doors  in  a  tent.  It  is  one  of 
those  the  Empress  took  with  her,  and  lived  and 
slept  in,  during  her  up-country  journey  from  the 
Cape  to  Zululand  in  1880.  The  wicker  chairs 
also,  and  lounges,  are  the  same  she  used  during 
the  months  of  her  stay  in  South  Africa.  We  are 
most  comfortably  installed,  have  a  table  and  all 
our  books,  and  it  is  for  the  time  being  a  regular 
sitting  room,  and  a  very  pleasant  one. 

Little  Prince  Napoleon  Murat  is  still  here. 
He  is  a  nice,  simple  schoolboy,  and  very  bright 
and  amusing  when  alone  with  us,  but  rather  sub- 
dued with  the  Empress.  He  returns  to  his  col- 
lege on  Saturday  morning.  The  day  before  yes- 
terday we  had  a  long  drive  of  two  and  a  half 
hours  with  him.  We  formed  quite  a  procession 
of  carriages,  the  Empress  and  Mme.  Le  Breton 
in  the  victoria;  M.  and  A.  driving  with  a  groom 
in  one  dogcart ;  Prince  Napoleon  and  myself, 
with  another  groom  behind,  in  a  second  dogcart, 

129 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Prince  and  I  driving  alternately  and  he  giv- 
ing me  many  points.  We  drove  Umgeni,  a  small 
saddle  horse  the  Empress  brought  from  Zulu- 
land  and  which  she  prizes  highly.  Glad  H.  saw 
the  procession  of  the  Queen  at  the  opening  of  the 
Colonial  Exhibition.  I  have  not  had  a  minute 
to  look  at  a  paper,  but  hear  it  all  went  off  very 
well,  and  it  appears  the  Queen  was  much  pleased 
with  the  reception  given  her.  She  wrote  herself 
to  the  Empress  this  morning  to  tell  her  so. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  9,  1886. 

Lack  of  time  again,  helas !  In  the  morning  it 
was  decided  that  the  Empress  would  go  to  town 
to  see  her  doctor,  taking  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  M. 
with  her.  Just  as  we  were  leaving  our  tent  for 
a  very  early  luncheon,  at  11 :30,  on  the  Empress's 
account,  Mme.  Le  Breton  came  to  ask  me  to 
change  my  dress  quickly  as  I  was  to  go  in  her 
place,  since  I  was  better  equipped  than  she 
for  a  shopping  expedition.  At  12 :30  we  started 
from  here,  accompanied  by  Mouron,  the  footman, 
who  always  goes  up  to  town.  A  private  carriage 
was  waiting  for  us  at  Waterloo  Station.  We 
only  returned  by  the  5 :45  train,  dividing  all  that 
time  between  Dr.  Chepmell  and  some  of  the  lead- 
ing shops,  choosing  all  sorts  of  pretty  things  for 

130 


DAILY  EVENTS 

the  girls.  I  was  pilot,  interpreter  and  bursar  of 
the  expedition.  Hoping  to  preserve  her  incog- 
nito, and  thereby  save  herself  from  extortion,  she 
insisted  on  speaking  English  to  me  on  these  occa- 
sions, till  I  gently  suggested  that  our  usual  lan- 
guage would  perhaps  attract  less  attention.  The 
Empress  must  have  been  quite  tired  out,  for  even 
we  active  young  people  had  had  all  we  could 
stand,  and  were  delighted  to  get  home  again. 
We  had  traveled  up  in  the  morning  with  General 
Fielding. 

The  girls  had  asked  their  uncle  to  send  me  some 
Spanish  music  from  Madrid  as  a  little  gift  for 
the  seventh,  but  no  one  else  knew  of  my  birth- 
day,— they  are  not  a  la  mode  here.  Even  A.'s 
the  other  day,  though  known  to  all,  was  paid  no 
attention  to. 

We  take  our  morning  walk  now  directly  after 
breakfast  from  8 :30  to  9 :30,  it  being  too  hot  at 
noon.  Then  we  go  to  our  tent  and  work  till 
lunch  at  one  o'clock,  after  which  we  again  retire 
to  our  open  air  study-room  till  a  quarter  to  five 
and  then  come  the  "month  of  May  devotions"  in 
the  chapel.  After  tea  at  about  a  quarter  before 
six,  the  Empress,  if  well,  goes  out  for  a  good  brisk 
walk,  taking  any  one  of  us  who  cares  to  join  her. 
Dressing  for  dinner  follows,  which  is  at  eight, 
and  the  usual  evening  all  together.  This  is  our 
present  program,  modified  to   suit  the  warm 

131 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

weather,  so  you  can  follow  us  through  the  day  if 
you  wish. 

On  Thursday  the  five  ladies  and  Prince  Murat 
drove  to  a  very  pretty  winding  canal  near  here, 
called  the  Basingstoke  Canal,  where  we  hired  two 
boats  of  which  there  are  numbers.  The  Prince 
and  M.  went  in  one,  A.  and  myself  in  another, 
the  Empress  and  Mme.  Le  Breton  walking 
abreast  of  us  along  the  bank,  bewildering  us  with 
conflicting  directions,  and  the  carriages  following 
a  short  distance  behind.  M.  and  her  companion 
got  on  famously,  for  he  is  a  good  oarsman,  but  A. 
not  being  able  to  row,  all  was  left  to  my  exertions, 
and  my  own  very  slight  knowledge  of  the  art. 
In  consequence  we  soon  got  behind,  so  Mouron 
was  put  into  our  boat  to  help,  and  before  the  hour 
and  a  half  was  over  we  were  far  ahead  of  our 
rivals.  It  was  lovely  on  the  water, — the  officers' 
canoes  gliding  about,  the  pretty  surroundings, 
and  the  setting  sun  made  a  charming  picture. 

Tuesday,  May  11.  M.  de  Varu,  military  at- 
tache to  the  French  Embassy,  lunched  here  today. 

Thursday,  May  13.  M.  and  A.  were  away  at 
a  concert.  I  remained  at  home  alone  with  the 
Empress  and  had  a  long  and  interesting  tete-a- 
tete  with  her  at  tea  time. 

She  began  by  talking  over  the  news  of  the  day 
and  her  fears  of  a  war  between  England  and 

132 


DAILY  EVENTS 

France.  She  gave  as  her  opinion,  that  war  is 
certain  if  England  does  not  evacuate  Egypt ;  that 
everything  points  to  a  rupture.  France  with 
over  a  million  soldiers  does  not  fear  to  engage  a 
small  number  bf  troops,  she  said,  but  will  not 
quarrel  with  Germany. 

She  seemed  very  much  excited  over  the  French 
newspaper  she  had  been  reading  and  said: x 
"Nous  touchons  a  un  temps  terrible,  a  un  boule- 
versement-complet  de  la  societe.  Tout  est  use — 
il  n'y  a  pas  moyen  que  cela  continue  a  marcher 
comme  cela  en  Europe;  il  faut  un  changement 
absolu.  Tant  qu'on  avait  de  la  religion  on  etait 
resigne  et  on  souffrait  en  esperant  le  Ciel,  mais 
maintenant  le  nombre  des  mecontents  s'augmente 
de  jour  en  jour,  et  bientot  ils  auront  le  dessus, 
et  si  je  vis  quelques  annees  encore,  je  suis  sure 
que  nous  en  reviendrons  a  dig,  dig,  dig! 2  II  faut 
une  revolution  complete,  et  c'est  maintenant  qu'il 
faudrait  un  genie  pour  arranger  les  choses  car  si 
la  reforme  vient  d'en  haut,  ce  sera  bien,  mais  si 
elle  vient  d'en  bas  (du  peuple),  nous  verrons  une 
epoque  terrible,  mais  elle  sera  courte  et  alors 
l'equilibre  se  retablira.  Pour  le  moment,  il  n'y 
a,  a  mon  avis,  que  Immigration.     Si  j'etais  libre, 

i  This  seemed  so  interesting  to  me  at  the  time,  that  I  wrote 
down  the  words  as  nearly  verbatim  as  I  could  remember. 

2  Here  she  made  a  vigorous  gesture  as  if  digging,  implying  that 
European  affairs  had  reached  such  a  pitch  of  social  tangle,  that 
we  should  have  to  go  back  to  primitive  methods  again  before 
things  could  properly  readjust  themselves. 

133 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

je  dirais  adieu  pour  tou jours  a  cette  vieille  Eu- 
rope degeneree,  pour  trouver  une  nouvelle  vie 
dans  les  pays  non-civilises."  1 

Then  we  drifted  somehow  into  talking  of  the 
unpleasant  treatment  the  Empress  had  met  with 
from  Belgium  and  the  kindness  of  some  other 
nationalities.  Belgium,  she  said,  was  the  only 
country  where  she  met  with  rudeness  after  her 
troubles.  On  one  journey  from  Dover  to  Os- 
tend  on  board  one  of  the  government  steamers, 
commanded  by  retired  naval  officers,  she  had  en- 
gaged a  private  cabin — the  captain's.  On  her 
being  recognized,  the  officials  refused  to  let  her 
have  it,  on  the  pretext  that  they  had  no  right  to 
assign  it  to  her.  It  remained  unoccupied  the  en- 
tire voyage,  and  the  Empress  stayed  on  deck  all 
night  without  shelter,  not  choosing  to  go  below  to 
the  one  common  saloon.  This  was,  she  said,  only 
one  of  many  discourtesies  offered  her  by  this  na- 

i  "We  are  verging  on  a  terrible  time,  a  complete  upsetting  of 
society.  All  is  worn  out, — it  is  not  possible  for  things  to  con- 
tinue going  on  as  they  are  now  in  Europe;  there  must  be  an 
absolute  change.  As  long  as  people  had  faith  to  count  on, 
they  were  resigned,  and  they  suffered  and  hoped  for  Heaven — 
but  now  the  number  of  malcontents  is  increasing  from  day  to  day 
and  soon  they  will  get  the  upper  hand.  And  if  I  live  a  few  years 
more  I  am  sure  we  shall  come  back  to  dig — dig — dig!  There 
must  be  a  complete  revolution — it  is  now  that  the  advent  of  a 
genius  would  be  welcome  to  readjust  matters,  for  if  r«form  come 
from  above,  it  will  be  all  right,  but  if  it  come  from  below  (from 
the  populace),  we  shall  see  a  terrible  epoch — but  it  will  be  a 
short  one — and  then  the  world's  equilibrium  will  be  reestab- 
lished. If  I  were  free,  I  should  say  goodby  forever  to  this  old 
degenerate  Europe,  to  find  a  new  life  in  non-civilized  countries." 

134 


DAILY  EVENTS 

tion.  Leopold  II  was  the  only  sovereign  who 
did  not  go  into  mourning  with  his  court  at  the 
Emperor's  death.  He  absolutely  refused  to  do 
so.  She  spoke  very  frankly  of  her  personal  dis- 
like and  mepris  of  the  private  character  of  Leo- 
pold II.  He  was  narrow  and  mercenary. 
She  knew  him  well,  for  he  spent  a  whole  month 
with  his  suite  at  the  Elysee  Palace  in  Paris  at  the 
Emperor's  expense.  "II  est  si  mielleux  s'il  veut 
quelque  chose  de  vous;  et  puis  il  ose  si  peu 
moralement,"  *  she  said  finally. 

She  told  me  what  she  thought  might  be  the 
origin  of  Leopold's  marked  hatred  of  France. 
The  then  French  ambassador  and  Bismarck  met 
somewhere  at  a  dinner;  after  the  meal  they  sat 
talking  in  a  friendly  way  about  the  affairs  of 
Europe,  and  jokingly  named  what  each  would 
like  to  "gobble  up"  for  his  country.  When  the 
Iron  Chancellor  had  finished  enumerating  the 
slices  of  Europe  he  coveted,  the  French  ambassa- 
dor gave  his  list,  naming  Belgium  among  others. 
Bismarck  feigned  not  to  understand  clearly,  and 
pushing  pen  and  ink  toward  the  Frenchman, 
asked  him  to  draw  a  little  map,  so  as  to  explain 
his  meaning  better.  The  ambassador  fell  into 
the  trap  and  made  a  little  rough  drawing,  which 
the    crafty    Chancellor    immediately    pocketed. 

i  "He  is  so  fair-spoken  if  he  wants  something  from  you;  and 
then,  he  has  so  little  moral  courage." 

135 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

This  little  sketch  Bismarck  unscrupulously 
showed  to  several  people,  and  the  affair  ulti- 
mately got  to  Leopold's  ears.  He  never  forgave 
the  offense. 

The  Empress  then  went  on  to  tell  of  the  kind- 
ness of  other  nationalities,  from  whom  she  had 
less  reason  to  expect  it — of  the  great  deference 
and  courtesy  shown  her  everywhere  while  travel- 
ing through  Germany,  and  the  very  cordial  visit 
paid  her  there,  at  great  personal  inconvenience  to 
themselves,  by  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess. 
She  mentioned  also  the  Czar  of  Russia's  friendly 
visit  to  her  at  Chislehurst,  and  his  trip  afterwards 
to  Woolwich  to  see  the  Prince  Imperial,  who  was 
pursuing  his  course  of  military  training  there. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  13,  1886. 
Well,  I  have  not  yet  told  you  that  M.  was  al- 
lowed by  her  aunt  to  go  to  a  grand  ball  given  by 
the  officers  last  week,  so  now  that  it  is  known 
she  goes  out  a  little,  there  will  be  plenty  of  invita- 
tions, this  being  the  very  gayest  season  here. 
The  other  day  five  tickets  came  from  Sir  Howard 
Elphinstone  for  a  play  at  the  Royal  Engineers' 
Theatre.  Mme.  Le  Breton  did  not  wish  to  go, 
it  being  in  English ;  A.  also  refused  for  the  same 
reason,  but  M.  was  delighted,  and  when  the  Em- 

136 


DAILY  EVENTS 

press  asked  me  if  I  would  care  to  go,  I  accepted 
with  pleasure.  General  and  Mrs.  Byrne  dined 
here  at  seven,  and  at  eight  they,  M.  and  myself 
started  for  Alder  shot.  The  acting  was  excep- 
tionally good  and  the  music  too  (the  Engineers' 
band  from  Chatham).  It  was  a  nice  little  the- 
ater, very  well  arranged  and  managed  entirely  by 
Sir  Howard.  The  combination  of  the  officers' 
uniforms  and  ladies  evening  dresses  was  very 
pretty.  We  had  some  of  the  best  seats  in  the 
front  row,  and  quite  near  us  sat  Prince  Albert 
Victor  of  Wales  in  his  hussar  uniform.  He  came 
in  with  Lady  Elphinstone.  Tomorrow  there  is 
to  be  a  review,  and  I  think  there  will  be  several 
carriages  going  from  here,  so  we  shall  all  go.  It 
will  be  a  novel  and  interesting  sight.  The  Em- 
press and  I  will  have  the  Mois  de  Marie  to  our- 
selves today,  and  tea  also,  as  M.  and  A.  have 
gone  out  with  Mme.  Le  Breton.  Tomorrow  she 
will  be  left  quite  alone. 

Later :  I  broke  off  in  the  midst  of  describing 
last  night's  performance,  and  never  told  you  how 
much  M.  and  I  enjoyed  the  play.  At  11:45 
p.  m.  we  left  Aldershot,  and  at  12:80  were  home; 
the  whole  household  was  in  bed  when  we  were 
safely  deposited  in  the  hall.  All  late  comers 
are  let  in  by  the  night  watchman,  an  officially 
appointed  policeman,  who  perambulates  through 
the  house  all  night.     The  Empress  has  had  the 

137 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

same  man  ever  since  she  arrived  in  England,  now 
sixteen  years  ago.  When  the  Imperial  house- 
hold moved  from  Chislehurst  here,  the  Queen 
allowed  him  to  follow.  He  has  now  been  trans- 
ferred exclusively  to  the  service  of  the  Empress. 

During  tea  the  Empress  and  I  had  a  long  tete- 
a-tete  and  she  told  me  many  interesting  things, 
mostly  about  Spain  and  Italy.  One  old  Span- 
ish custom  she  spoke  of  was  most  probably  a 
very  useful  one :  The  Vicaire  of  the  parish 
church  always  goes  the  day  before  a  wedding 
and  interviews  the  girl  who  is  going  to  be  mar- 
ried, asking  her  in  private  if  she  is  really  taking 
the  step  of  her  own  free  will.  If  she  says  "yes" 
it  is  all  right,  and  the  ceremony  takes  place,  but 
if  she  says  "no"  he  conducts  her  to  a  convent  till 
the  appointed  day  is  past,  and  the  disappointed 
and  unprincipled  relatives  have  regained  their 
equanimity  and  good  humor. 

Then  talking  of  the  present  rage  for  dressing 
children  in  sailor  and  Highland  costumes,  the 
Empress  said  that  at  one  time  the  fashionable 
way  for  boys  to  dress  in  Spain  was  like  monks; 
and  in  her  youth  during  a  revolution  the  fashion 
was  changed  to  Guardias  civiles. 

On  Maundy  Thursday,  in  honor  of  Our  Lord's 
washing  the  feet  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  the  feet 
of  twelve  poor  men  are  washed  and  afterward  a 
dinner  is  given  to  them  in  the  royal  palace.    Each 

138 


DAILY  EVENTS 

man  brings  with  him  a  large  basket,  into  which 
he  is  allowed  to  put  everything  that  is  presented 
to  him  in  the  way  of  food,  and  even  the  dishes, 
plates  and  spoons  that  go  with  it.  The  men  do 
not  attempt  to  eat  the  meal,  but  being  permitted 
to  take  it  away,  find  it  more  profitable  to  carry  it 
off  and  to  sell  it.  The  money  received  will  buy 
them  many  ordinary  dinners.  It  is  a  custom 
among  people  of  good  family,  who  wish  to  eat 
a  dinner  from  the  royal  kitchen,  to  buy  these 
baskets  and  their  contents ;  and  servants  in  livery 
may  be  seen  waiting  in  line  outside  the  palace 
gate  for  this  purpose.  It  is  also  the  Spanish 
queen's  prerogative  on  that  one  day  of  the  year 
to  pardon  a  criminal  sentenced  to  death. 

The  Empress  then  went  on  to  speak  of  Ital- 
ians, and  to  draw  a  parallel  between  their  char- 
acteristics and  those  of  the  Spaniards.  The  Ital- 
ians, she  feels,  are  the  greatest  natural  diplomats 
in  the  world,  and  are  the  most  pleasant  people  to 
mix  with  socially,  much  more  so  than  the  French 
— "mais,  je  ne  leur  confierais  ni  ma  femme,  ni  ma 
fille,  ni  mon  argent."  *  The  Spaniards  even  of 
the  lower  classes  (Castilians),  on  the  contrary, 
have  the  greatest  natural  sense  of  honor  and  loy- 
alty. Business  matters  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance are  transacted  only  by  word  of  mouth  and 

i  "But  I  would  not  confide  to  their  care  my  wife,  my  daughter, 
nor  my  money." 

139 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

a  clasp  of  the  hands.  This  is  considered  suffi- 
cient guarantee.  You  can  also,  she  says,  reach 
them  by  politeness  and  make  them  do  heroic  and 
difficult  things  by  simply  appealing  to  their 
honor.  As  an  example,  the  Empress  told  me  the 
story  of  some  official  she  knew  of  as  a  girl,  who 
had  charge  of  a  great  sum  of  money  in  gold. 
His  house  was  surrounded  and  attacked  by  a 
revolutionary  mob.  Completely  at  their  mercy, 
and  not  being  able  to  defend  his  trust  single- 
handed,  he  bethought  himself  of  some  way  to  save 
it.  He  asked  speech  with  the  chief  of  the  band. 
Addressing  him  and  his  followers  politely  as 
caballeros,  he  handed  the  keys  of  his  -house  to  the 
ringleader,  saying  that  he  "trusted  to  their  honor" 
not  to  touch  or  hurt  anything.  This  worked  like 
a  charm.  They  went  away  proudly,  never  hav- 
ing touched  a  single  thing. 

Education  in  Spain,  the  Empress  says,  is  mak- 
ing rapid  progress  now,  but  the  nation  at  large 
still  remains  very  ignorant,  though  they  often 
make  up  for  their  educational  deficiency  by  an 
astonishingly  great  amount  of  natural  wit. 
"The  Marquesa  — ,  my  father's  sister,  who 
lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  was  most  ignorant 
scholastically, — knew  nothing,  and  did  not  want 
to  learn, — but  still  she  was  able  to  fascinate  and 
hold  the  attention  of  young  and  old  by  her  witty 
conversation,  and  had  a  most  interesting  salon." 

140 


DAILY  EVENTS 

With  some  malice  the  Empress  also  told  me 
that  there  is  a  very  appropriate  portrait  of  her 
aunt  by  the  celebrated  painter,  Goya.  She  is  de- 
picted holding  a  closed  book.  Once  on  hearing 
Napoleon  I  mentioned  as  a  great  general,  she 
showed  her  utter  and  astounding  ignorance  of 
Spanish  history  and  its  heroes,  with  whom  even 
the  peasants  are  familiar,  by  evidently  mixing 
him  up  with  el  Gran  Capitan,1  and  saying  with 
some  astonishment:  "But  Napoleon  must  be 
very  old !" 

This  same  Marquesa  speaking  of  her  father-in- 
law,  who  lived  on  and  on  to  a  great  and  appar- 
ently interminable  old  age,  said,  wittily,  if  not 
very  reverently:  "Je  savais  bien  qu'il  y  avait  un 
Pere  Eternel;  mais  je  ne  savais  pas  qu'il  y  eut 
un  beau-pere  eternel!  "  2 

That  same  evening  after  our  long  talk  at  tea 
time,  the  Empress  resumed  the  subject  of  Spain 
and  told  us  about  her  very  earliest  recollections. 
One  of  the  first  things  she  remembers  is  the  chol- 
era in  Madrid,  and  the  terrible  fear  everyone  had 
of  it.  She  called  to  mind  perfectly  the  dead  cart 
coming  around  morning  and  evening  to  carry 
away  its  gruesome  load.  An  association  of  gen- 
tlemen,  of  whom  the  Count   de   Monti  jo,  her 

i  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova,  1453-1515. 

a  "I  knew  there  was  an  Eternal  Father — but  I  did  not  know 
there  was  an  eternal  father-in-law." 

141 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

father,  was  one,  was  formed  to  assist  in  burying 
the  numerous  dead.  Ignorance  made  the 
wrought  up  populace  distrust  everyone  who  went 
near  a  fountain  of  poisoning  it,  and  the  perplexed 
government  found  it  convenient,  so  as  to  allay 
their  fears,  to  allow  the  unprotected  monks  to  be 
suspected  and  massacred  by  the  enraged  mob  for 
three  days  unhindered.  From  the  windows  of 
her  house  Eugenie  Monti  jo  one  day  saw  a  monk 
fleeing  from  an  assassin,  caught  by  his  hood  and 
stabbed.  The  awful  picture  of  the  spouting 
stream  of  blood  haunted  her  for  all  the  years  of 
her  childhood ;  it  recurred  in  every  bad  dream  and 
even  nowadays,  she  said,  the  sight  of  a  friar  al- 
ways instantaneously  brings  back  to  her  mind 
that  horrible  scene. 

She  remembered,  also,  during  a  revolution,  a 
journey  en  diligence  to  Barcelona '  for  safety, 
with  her  sister,  mother  and  little  brother  Paco, 
protected  by  torreros;  and  told  us  how  the  Jesuits 
and  others  had  all  escaped  being  killed,  through 
the  power  the  ringleader  of  the  mob  possessed 
over  it.  En  route  the  Montijos  took  refuge  in 
a  monastery  one  night,  and  after  their  departure 
the  next  day,  they  heard  that  their  late  hosts, 
the  monks,  were  all  murdered.     The  family  next 

i  This  flight  of  the  Montijo  family  from  Spain  must  have  been 
that  of  July  29,  1834. 

142 


DAILY  EVENTS 

stopped  at  a  lazaretto.  They  had  a  sauf  conduit 
to  go  on  further,  but  this  did  not  apply  to  the 
torreros  or  other  fugitives  who  accompanied  the 
party,  and  these  were  held.  A  riot  ensued  among 
the  bullfight-loving  people  there,  to  have  at  least 
the  favorite  torreros  released,  but  these  favorites 
gallantly  said  it  was  no  use  releasing  them  alone, 
as  they  would  positively  give  no  bullfights  unless 
all  of  them  were  set  free,  so  to  obtain  their  fa- 
vorite sport,  even  in  the  midst  of  a  riot,  all  were 
let  go  and  escaped  in  that  way. 

Here  is  one  more  anecdote  the  Empress  told 
about  herself  as  a  young  girl,  showing  the  effect 
of  youth  and  womanhood  on  the  chivalric,  roman- 
tic Spanish  people.  This  is  how  Eugenie  swayed 
the  feelings  of  the  crowd  in  favor  of  Queen  Isa- 
bella. It  was  at  a  time  when  the  revolutionary 
feeling  was  again  rife  and  people  made  menacing 
gestures  while  the  Queen  was  passing.  Eugenie 
Monti  jo,  driving  at  the  time  with  her  cousins  in 
an  open  carriage,  sensed  the  situation,  waved  her 
handkerchief  with  particular  emphasis  as  the 
Queen  passed,  while  the  latter  continued  bowing 
to  the  scowling  crowd.  Eugenie,  indignant  at 
their  disrespectful  attitude,  called  out,  rather 
peremptorily,  to  some  men  near  her  own  carriage : 
"Take  off  your  hatst"  They  looked  up  at  her 
for  a  moment  astonished,  and  then  said  smilingly, 

143 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

"Como  podriamos  rehusar  algo  a  esa  chica  [How 
could  we  refuse  anything  to  this  girl]?"  and 
dropped  their  sullen  way  as  by  a  charm.  The 
Empress  added  in  telling  us  this,  "L'Espagne 
est  le  pays  de  tout  autre,  ou  la  femme  est  reine, 
pourvu  qu'elle  soit  jeune  et  jolie!  "  1 

Monday,  May  17.  At  4 :30  during  tea  time,  a 
telegram  came  from  the  Queen  of  Spain,  an- 
nouncing the  birth  of  a  son.  Later  on  another 
telegram  from  Queen  Victoria,  repeating  the 
same  news.  These  are  copies  of  the  answers  sent 
by  me  at  the  Empress's  request,  one  of  which 
went  to  Ex-Queen  Isabella,  grandmother  to  the 
new-born  infant: 

*'A  la  Reine  Isabelle  d'Espagne, 

Hotel  de  Castille,  Paris. 
Je  felicite  Votre  Majeste  de  la  naissance  du   roi. 
J'espere  que  cet  heureux  evenement  adoucira  la  douleur 
Votre  Majeste.1 

Comtesse  de  Pierrefonds. 

To  the  Queen, 

Windsor. 
Thank  you   kindly   for  sending   the  welcome  news 
from  Spain.     It  has  given  me  great  pleasure. 

Comtesse  de  Pierrefonds. 

i  "Spain  is  the  country  of  all  others  where  woman  is  queen 
— provided  she  is  young  and  pretty." 

2  I  felicitate  Your  Majesty  on  the  birth  of  the  King.  I  hope 
that  this  happy  event  will  soften  Your  Majesty's  grief. 

144. 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE 
From  a  Sevres  miniature 


DAILY  EVENTS 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  18,  1886. 

I  suppose  the  birth  of  Queen  Christina's  little 
son  is  in  all  the  papers  today.  The  poor  little 
fatherless  king,  who  succeeds  to  the  throne,  was 
born  at  12:30,  and  at  4:30  we  knew  of  the  event 
here. 

The  arrival  of  the  telegram  started  the  Em- 
press telling  us  many  things  about  Queen  Chris- 
tina. She  spoke  sympathetically  about  her 
lonely  position  as  queen,  widow  and  mother;  of 
what  a  responsible  task  she  has  before  her  as 
regent  in  governing  wisely  a  restless  country, 
where  an  Austrian  archduchess  would  not  natur- 
ally be  liked;  how  fine  and  intelligent  a  woman 
she  is,  how  well  she  has  brought  up  her  daughters, 
and  with  what  tact  she  is  winning  her  way  gradu- 
ally with  the  people  of  her  adoption.  The 
chivalry  of  the  nation  is  appealed  to  by  her  fine, 
dignified  way  of  meeting  the  situation  and  its  dif- 
ficulties. 

Then  the  conversation  turned  upon  the  mother- 
in-law,  ex-Queen  Isabella,  who  now  lives  in  Paris 
— her  former  great  popularity,  and  how  she  has 
not  the  slightest  particle  of  rancune  against  any- 
body. "It  was  left  out  of  her  nature.  She  still 
has  trbs  grand  air.3'     Her  irrepressible  uncon- 

145 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ventionality  was  shown  by  her  meeting  with  Don 
Amadeus *  in  a  Paris  salon.  She  waved  her 
hand  and  called  out  to  him  across  the  room,  "Hola 
compadero,  que  tal  (Hello  comrade — how  goes 

it)  r 

The  following  story  about  Queen  Isabella  and 
the  Infanta  Eulalia,  was  meant  to  illustrate  the 
former's  courage  and  thoughtfulness  of  her  sub- 
jects. She  and  her  daughter  were  driving,  the 
Empress  said,  during  some  disturbed  period  of 
her  reign  when  her  popularity  was  on  the  wane. 
There  were  constant  menaces  from  the  crowd, 
who  even  pelted  the  carriage,  but  the  two  ladies 
continued  bowing,  apparently  unconcerned.  Is- 
abella might  very  reasonably  just  then  have  been 
thinking  of  her  own  safety  and  her  daughter's, 
but  standing  up  and  with  real  anxiety  in  her 
voice,  she  called  out  to  the  coachman,  who  had  to 
force  his  way  through  the  gathering  crowds: 
"Take  care,  go  slowly,  do  not  crush  anyone!" 
In  a  few  minutes  this  act  of  courage  changed  the 
menace  into  enthusiasm.  Some  one  in  the  crowd 
called  out,  "Que  valiente  es  esa!  Vive  la  reina 
[How  courageous  she  is!  Long  live  the 
queen]."  Isabella  returned  home  to  the  palace, 
not  in  the  least  frightened  nor  ruffled  by  the 
episode. 

i  Amadeus,  Duke  of  Aosta,  elected  King  of  Spain  in  1870;  re- 
signed 1873.    Then  came  Alfonso  XII. 

146 


DAILY  EVENTS 

The  Empress  remarked  that  Isabella  had 
much  natural  nobility  of  mind  and  heart;  spoke 
of  her  ignorance  and  lack  of  political  education, — 
in  her  absolute  naivete  she  was  made  to  do  all 
sorts  of  harm  as  the  tool  of  unscrupulous  people. 
When  dethroned  and  expelled  from  Spain,1  she 
arrived  at  Biarritz,  with  her  son  Alfonso.  The 
Empress  and  Prince  Imperial  went  to  meet  them, 
and  the  two  boys,  wholly  alive  to  the  situation  and 
white  as  sheets,  embraced  and  cried  in  each  other's 
arms,  while  Isabella  remained  perfectly  cheerful 
and  insouciant,  as  if  no  distressing  event  had 
taken  place. 

Isabella's  generosity,  and  independence  of  pub- 
lic opinion  were  also  touched  upon.  In  1870, 
when  Napoleon  III  was  a  prisoner  in  Wilhelms- 
hohe,  Queen  Isabella  dared  to  telegraph  openly 
to  him  in  his  prison:  "Tous  mes  bijoux  sont  a 
votre  disposition  si  vous  en  avez  besoin  [All  my 
jewels  are  at  your  disposal,  if  you  need  them]," 
and  she  meant  it,  the  Empress  added.  In  spite 
of  her  utter  failure  politically  as  a  sovereign,  she 
had  many  fine  qualities  as  a  woman,  was  the 
warmest  of  friends,  and  would  willingly  have 
been  as  good  as  her  word  and  have  sold  every 
jewel  she  possessed  to  come  to  the  assistance  of 

i  Flight  to  France,  September,  1868.  Deposition  declared  Sep- 
tember 29.  She  abdicated  in  favor  of  her  son  Alfonso,  June  25, 
1870. 

147 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Emperor.  The  Duchesse  de  Montpensier 
(the  Infanta)  is  so  different  from  her  mother, 
with  a  nature  so  bitter  against  everybody.  The 
Empress  told  us  about  the  Infanta's  rudeness  to 
her  at  a  fancy  fair  some  years  ago. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  18, 1886. 

Now  about  Friday  last.  I  have  already  told 
H.  that  we  enjoyed  the  field  day  very  much,  that 
it  was  most  interesting,  and  gives  one  a  very 
tolerable  idea  of  what  a  terrible  thing  a  battle 
must  be.  Thursday  night  a  letter  came  from 
General  Fielding  saying  that  the  Duchess  of 
Connaught  and  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Oldenburg 
would  drive  over  from  Bagshot  Park  and  would 
start  again  from  Farnborough  station  at  10 
a.  m.,  that  we  must  follow  the  royal  carriage 
everywhere  to  the  places  reserved  for  us,  so  that 
we  might  see  to  the  best  advantage.  Every  one 
was  punctual,  and  the  scene  a  most  animated  one ; 
the  road  filled  with  soldiers  of  all  sorts,  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery  with  all  their  heavy  guns 
and  ammunition  carriages.  Some  of  the  horses 
were  beautiful  animals.  All  along  the  road  there 
was  a  mounted  escort  for  the  Duchess,  and  when 
we  arrived  at  what  is  called  Long  Valley,  six 
miles  from  here,  we  found  the  scene  a  very  busy 

148 


DAILY  EVENTS 

one  indeed — officers  dashing  past  like  the  wind, 
regiments  appearing  and  disappearing  behind  the 
hills  and  into  the  woods,  and  the  booming  of  can- 
non in  the  distance.  General  Fielding  com- 
manded the  South  Force,  and  Major  General 
Sir  Drury  Lowe,  the  attacking  force,  supposed 
to  have  marched  on  Aldershot  from  London. 
The  great  feature  of  the  day  was  the  taking  of 
the  pontoon  bridge  over  the  Basingstoke  Canal, 
and  the  firing  was  very  heavy  there.  From  a 
hill  overlooking  the  valley  and  surrounding  coun- 
try, where  our  carriages  were  stationed,  we  saw 
splendidly.  While  we  were  standing  with  all  the 
other  people,  who  had  alighted  from  their  ve- 
hicles and  were  chatting  in  groups,  Lady  Bur- 
goyne  introduced  me  to  Mrs.  and  Miss  St.  Quen- 
tin.  Sir  Howard  Elphinstone  and  Surgeon- 
Major  Scott  rode  up  and  spoke  to  us.  The  noise 
even  in  the  distance  was  very  great,  but  nothing 
to  what  it  was  later  when  the  supposed  enemy 
came  to  capture  our  hill,  and  soldiers  were  swarm- 
ing up  the  steep  heather  covered  sides  like  ants. 
There  were  hundreds  of  them  and  we  had  to  get 
out  of  the  way  as  best  we  could,  but  there  was  no 
danger,  as  they  used,  of  course,  only  blank  cart- 
ridges in  their  rifles.  The  noise  was  deafening 
when  the  artillery  pulled  their  guns  to  the  top  of 
our  hill  and  thundered  at  our  make-believe  ene- 
mies below,  and  there  was  great  excitement,  as 

149 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  vibration  from  the  cannon  was  so  great  that 
it  made  every  one  jump.  Some  ladies  were  very- 
much  startled,  especially  when  a  few  horses  who 
did  not  understand  the  fun,  began  to  rear  and 
plunge  and  try  to  get  away.  The  Empress's 
horses  never  moved  a  muscle,  but  those  of  the 
Duchess  of  Connaught,  considering  everything, 
were  not  so  well  behaved.  One  brougham,  which 
had  been  stupidly  placed  just  behind  the  artillery 
had  its  windows  smashed  in  at  the  first  discharge. 
Fortunately,  its  occupants  were  on  foot  at  the 
time,  as  was  indeed  everyone  else,  and  so  no  one 
was  hurt. 

At  one  o'clock  "cease  firing"  was  sounded,  the 
fight  was  supposed  to  be  over,  and  the  carriages 
proceeded  down  into  fhe  valley  to  see  the  troops 
march  past.  We  were  in  an  enclosure  quite  near 
the  royal  carriages  all  the  time,  and  as  the  union 
jack  was  planted  there,  and  the  spot  became  a 
center  for  all  the  bands,  too,  it  was  very  ani- 
mated. The  saluting  of  the  officers  as  they 
passed  was  very  pretty.  The  Duke  of  Con- 
naught  and  the  Grand  Duke  of  Oldenburg  in 
his  light  blue  uniform,  with  several  generals,  re- 
mained on  horseback  throughout.  The  Duchess 
bowed  to  us  and  the  Duke  rode  up  and  spoke  to 
us.  We  were  not  home  till  2 :  30,  and  the  poor 
Empress  and  Mme.  Le  Breton,  who  had  re- 
mained behind,  were  famished.     The  former  had 

150 


DAILY  EVENTS 

thoughtfully  sent  us  word  by  a  mounted  groom 
not  to  hurry  home,  which  was  very  kind  of  her, 
but  even  had  we  wished  to  try  it,  we  could  not 
have  made  our  way  through  the  dense  throng  of 
troops.  There  were  in  all  nearly  seventy  thou- 
sand soldiers  out  that  day,  and  with  the  beauti- 
ful horses  of  the  artillery  and  the  bright  uni- 
forms of  the  regiments,  it  was  an  impressive 
sight,  which  I  shall  never  forget.  The  royal 
party  and  staff  officers  went  to  lunch  with  Sir 
Archibald  Alison,  commander-in-chief. 

Since  Saturday  we  have  not  seen  a  soul,  and 
as  the  young  French  lady,  who  is  to  come  with 
her  aunt,  is  ill,  we  shall  have  no  one  till  about 
the  seventh  of  June.  What  a  terrible  tornado 
they  have  had  in  Madrid  and  the  neighborhood. 
Several  relatives  of  our  girls  had  a  narrow  es- 
cape for  their  lives,  and  the  Empress  heard  to- 
day that  a  chateau  she  owns  at  Carabanchel,  near 
Madrid,  is  an  almost  complete  ruin.  Pleasant 
news!  especially  as  another  place  of  hers,  near 
Granada,  was  swallowed  up  by  an  earthquake 
last  year,  and  some  of  the  vineyards  have  become 
useless  on  account  of  the  phylloxera,  which  has 
destroyed  the  vines.  This  has  caused  a  serious 
monetary  loss — about  4000  pounds  out  of  her  in- 
come of  25,000  pounds.  The  Empress  is  quite 
depressed,  and  said  the  other  day,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  in  connection  with  this  accumulation  of 

151 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

bad  news,  "Tout  ce  qui  m'appartient  parait  voue 
a  la  destruction  [All  that  belongs  to  me  seems 
doomed  to  destruction]."  It  certainly  does 
seem  true. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  21,  1886. 
I  was  delighted  to  receive  your  welcome  let- 
ter this  morning,  and  to  see  that  my  description 
of  the  field  day  interested  you  so  much.  I  did 
not  expect  to  have  anything  new  to  tell  you  about 
today,  but  yesterday  at  5 :  30,  after  tea,  we  went 
out  for  a  very  long  drive, — the  Empress,  Mme. 
Le  Breton,  M.  and  myself  in  the  landau,  with  A. 
driving  in  a  pony  cart  behind.  We  went  by 
quite  a  new  route,  past  Wellington  College,  and 
just  as  we  thought  we  were  turning  toward  home, 
the  Empress  told  the  coachman  to  drive  in  at 
some  handsome  gates,  which  were  right  before 
us, — and  we  found  ourselves  in  some  beautiful 
grounds  in  front  of  Broadmoor  Asylum.  We 
asked  for  the  governor,  who  is  personally  known 
to  the  Empress,  and  she  immediately  got  per- 
mission for  us  to  see  the  grounds  inside  the  huge 
walls.  Presently  the  governor  appeared,  seemed 
delighted  at  the  Empress's  arrival,  and  not  only 
showed  us  the  grounds,  but  the  whole  establish- 
ment, which  is  admirably  kept  and  managed. 

152 


DAILY  EVENTS 

All  the  inmates  have  committed  murder  or  have 
at  least  tried  to  kill  some  one;  only  escaping  the 
death  penalty  because  found  insane.  There  are 
140  women  and  450  men,  and  everything  is  done 
for  their  comfort  and  cure,  but  they  are,  un- 
known to  themselves,  closely  guarded  and  well 
watched,  in  case  of  alarming  symptoms  or  at- 
tempts to  escape.  The  two  head  doctors  and 
four  or  five  uniformed  keepers  went  with  us 
everywhere,  though  the  precaution  seemed  quite 
unnecessary.  The  prisoners  or  patients,  for  they 
are  both,  without  exception  looked  wonderfully 
quiet  and  happy,  walking  about  or  reading, 
working  and  chatting.  Some  of  them  are  per- 
fectly sane  in  everything,  except  for  their  one 
savage  inclination. 

In  one  of  the  private  bedrooms,  busily  paint- 
ing, we  found  a  certain  Miss  E.,  who,  you  may 
remember,  some  years  ago  in  Brighton  poisoned 
a  number  of  children  with  sweetmeats,  which 
she  had  maliciously  tampered  with  and  then 
returned  to  the  shop,  pretending  they  were 
not  what  she  wanted.  She  exchanged  them  for 
others,  which  she  also  poisoned  and  returned  to 
the  shop  with  disastrous  results.  Her  mania  was 
only  discovered  after  her  deadly  scheme  had  been 
put  in  operation  several  times,  and  thirty  little 
innocent  children  had  died.  Miss  E.  has  hand- 
some features,  is  well  dressed,  skilfully  rouged 

153 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  with  her  hair  dyed,  so  that  though  the  doc- 
tor said  she  was  fifty-eight  years  old,  she  hardly 
looks  thirty. 

My  companions  passed  on  to  other  rooms.  I 
was  so  much  interested  in  looking  at  Miss  E.'s 
very  artistic  sketches,  that  I  did  not  notice  she 
had  gently  closed  the  door  behind  me,  till  one 
of  the  doctors,  who  missed  me  from  the  rest  of 
the  party,  came  back  rather  hurriedly  and  got 
me  out  with  what  seemed  rather  over-zealous 
haste.  Once  outside  in  the  corridor  he  explained 
that  Miss  E.'s  killing  mania  was  not  over,  that 
she  had  several  times  lured  people  into  her  room, 
closed  the  door  on  them  and  then  sprung  at  their 
throats.  I  was  grateful  to  the  doctor  and  after 
that  kept  close  to  his  side  notwithstanding  the 
innocent  looks  of  the  patients. 

Among  the  men,  who  were  walking  about 
freely  out  of  doors,  and  cultivating  their  little 
gardens,  we  saw  a  madman  who  tried  to  shoot 
the  Queen  two  years  ago, — and  many  other  no- 
torious persons. 

We  did  not  get  home  till  eight  o'clock,  and  as 
the  household  knew  nothing  of  our  visit  to  Broad- 
moor, they  could  not  make  out  why  we  were  so 
exceptionally  late  in  returning  from  our  drive. 

Saturday,  May  22.  The  little  King  of  Spain 
was  baptized  today,  and  was  christened  Alfonso. 

154 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Monday,  May  24.  The  Marquise  de  la 
Valette  came  to  lunch  with  her  niece,  Lady  Emily 
Fitzmaurice,  who  is  to  be  married  on  June  sec- 
ond. , 

Tuesday,  May  25.  Great  excitement  about 
the  possible  expulsion  of  all  princes  from  France ; 
if  all,  and  not  only  pretendants  to  the  throne  are 
expelled,  and  their  property  confiscated,  it  will 
make  the  greatest  possible  difference  to  the  Em- 
press and  mean  a  great  monetary  loss,  as  she 
owns  a  good  deal  of  house  property  in  Paris. 
She  also  owns  a  good  deal  in  New  York  and 
London. 

Wednesday,  May  26.  Mme.  Pelletier  started 
for  Paris  on  her  usual  little  visit  to  her  family, 
and  also  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  small  necessaries  of 
clothing  for  the  Empress,  buying  among  other 
things,  quantities  of  long,  buttonless  gloves, 
called  gants  beiges  at  the  Bon  Marche.  Eng- 
land's Queen,  who  one  day  at  Windsor  much  ad- 
mired the  practical  comfort  of  the  Empress's 
gloves,  has  ever  since  got  all  hers  there  also, 
though  few  know  it,  bought  for  her  by  Mme.  Pel- 
letier during  this  yearly  shopping  trip  for  her 
own  mistress. 


155 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  26, 1886. 

Last  Saturday,  Major  and  Mrs.  Bigg  came  to 
lunch,  and  afterwards  all  went  for  a  drive,  the 
objective  point  of  which  was  the  North  Camp, 
Aldershot,  to  see  a  polo  match  between  the  11th 
Hussars  and  a  club  called  the  Freebooters.  The 
latter  won  the  game,  much  to  the  disgust  of 
Prince  Albert  Victor,  who  was  present,  and  saw 
his  own  regiment  beaten.  Just  as  the  game  was 
over  up  came  the  Duke  of  Connaught's  four-in- 
hand,  he  himself  driving,  and  sitting  beside  him 
the  Duchess  of  Connaught,  with  the  Grand-Duke 
and  Grand-Duchess  of  Oldenburg  behind. 

The  polo  game  was  a  very  pretty  sight,  the 
players  in  white,  mounted  on  lovely  little  ponies 
as  swift  as  the  wind.  Today  his  Excellency  M. 
D'Antas,  Portuguese  minister,  has  been  lunching 
here,  and  has  been  conversing  with  the  Empress 
in  her  salon  de  travail.  She  is  very  agitee  about 
the  law  concerning  the  expulsion  of  princes,  for 
if  it  goes  through  it  will  bear  heavily  upon  her 
too.  She  will  lose,  in  that  event,  all  her  private 
house  property  in  Paris,  though  she  is  innocent 
of  any  cause  for  uneasiness  on  the  part  of  the 
French  government.  We  shall  probably  get  a 
telegram  this  afternoon,  saying  whether  or  not 
the  bill  has  passed. 

156 


DAILY  EVENTS 

May  28.     Mme.  de  Arcos  came  to  lunch  on  her 
return  from  Paris. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
May  30, 1886. 
Last  Sunday,  the  twenty-third,  a  number  of 
people  came  for  tea,  which  we  had  out  of  doors 
on  the  terrace.  We  were  about  seventeen  in  all. 
Among  others:  General  and  Mrs.  Byrne,  Miss 
Montague,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman,  Major  and 
Mrs.  Scott  and  their  niece  Flora  Dunolly,  and 
Captain  Blake,  formerly  stationed  at  Dover,  who 
knows  my  cousin  very  well.  After  tea  we 
showed  them  the  entire  house  and  its  treas- 
ures. Yesterday  Dr.  Tyler,  who  is  governor  I 
think  of  the  Agra  (India)  prison,  and  in  charge 
of  the  Hindoos  at  the  Colonial  Exhibition,  came 
to  look  at  the  rug  which  his  prisoners  had  been 
working  on  for  the  last  two  years,  and  which  has 
some  little  defect  they  are  going  to  try  to 
remedy.  He  brought  one  native  with  him  and 
in  a  few  days  two  others  are  coming  to  help.  It 
was  a  most  amusing  visit.  Dr.  Tyler  asked  me 
very  politely  where  the  gentleman  was  he  had 
been  corresponding  with,  during  M.  Pietri's  ab- 
sence, and  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  I  was 
"A.  Whiteside,  Esq.,  Private  Secretary  to  the 
Empress"  as  he  had  addressed  the  envelope  to 

157 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

me.  I  enjoyed  the  joke.  After  luncheon  and 
much  talk  over  the  rug  business,  the  Empress 
sent  us  driving  with  Dr.  Tyler  and  the  Hindoo, 
to  show  them  the  neighborhood.  During  the 
drive  the  doctor  told  us  very  many  interesting 
things  about  his  political  prisoners,  several  of 
whom  are  princes.  He  seems  a  very  able  man, 
and  wants  us  very  much  to  go  to  the  Exhibition, 
where  he  is  all-powerful,  and  would  much  enjoy 
showing  us  the  inner  working  of  everything. 
But  just  now  the  Empress  is  too  wrapped  up  in 
the  outcome  of  the  pending  law  in  France  to 
think  of  pleasures  for  this  household. 

The  young  Indian  prince  (he  is  a  political 
prisoner)  who  came  yesterday,  is  of  a  very  high 
caste,  and  would  not  for  the  world  have  touched 
anything  cooked  by  Christians,  nor  sit  at  the 
table  with  us;  neither  would  he  eat  what  to  him 
was  orthodox  food  if  a  Christian's  shadow  had 
been  cast  across  it.  He  however  accepted  some 
fruit  and  bread,  which  the  girls  and  I  gave  him. 
Dr.  Tyler  told  us  that  his  "boy,"  as  he  called 
him,  could  take  these  from  us  as  a  gift,  if  given 
with  our  own  hands. 

Sunday,  May  30.  The  officers  who  receive 
the  Empress  at  the  church  door  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing and  escort  her  up  the  church,  are  nearly  al- 
ways invited  by  the  Empress,  on  entering  her 

158 


DAILY  EVENTS 

carriage  afterwards,  to  come  and  have  tea  with 
us  in  the  afternoon.  Captains  Galton  and  Bol- 
ton thus  came  today,  and  we  showed  them  after- 
wards about  the  house  until  7 :  30. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
Wednesday,  June  2. 

I  am  writing  you  this  from  the  tent,  where 
since  this  morning  we  have  taken  up  our  abode 
afresh.  Yesterday  early  we  had  a  real  deluge, 
but  the  afternoon  was  lovely,  and  before  dinner 
we  three  had  a  good  long  walk  to  Sandhurst  and 
back, — about  eight  miles  I  should  think.  It  was 
great  fun,  as  there  were  numbers  of  stiles  and 
five-barred  gates,  and  now,  as  a  result  of  the 
gymnastic  lessons  at  Aldershot,  M.  and  A.  are 
much  more  agile,  and  they  find  barriers  a  pleas- 
ure instead  of  an  annoyance.  Since  Saturday 
last  a  good  deal  has  happened  that  will  interest 
you. 

Dr.  Tyler  came  again,  bringing  with  him  four 
Hindoos  to  arrange  the  wonderful  rug  made  by 
the  prisoners  at  Agra.  It  is  from  80  to  100 
feet  long,  a  perfect  beauty,  whose  only  defect  is 
that  it  does  not  lie  flat.  Dr.  Tyler  said  it  would 
be  a  very  easy  matter  to  remedy,  though  to  us 
it  seemed  almost  an  impossibility.  It  was  very 
interesting  to  see  the  prisoners  working  over  the 

159 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

rug.  They  never  touched  it  with  their  hands,  but 
did  everything  with  their  feet,  and  after  three 
of  them  had  labored  over  it  for  an  hour  or  two, 
their  little  bare  feet  always  scuffling  and  shuffling 
over  it  from  the  center  toward  the  border,  it 
came  out  as  absolutely  flat  as  if  it  had  been 
rolled  by  some  heavy  machine.  The  Empress 
was  as  much  pleased  with  the  change  in  it  as  she 
had  been  disappointed  when  it  was  first  put  down. 

Their  greeting  to  the  Empress  was  very  pic- 
turesque and  touching.  She  came  forward  to 
shake  hands  with  them,  but  they  gave  her  no  op- 
portunity of  so  doing.  After  removing  their 
sandals  they  bowed  low  to  the  ground,  touching 
their  foreheads  to  her  foot  and  kissing  it,  and 
making  a  great  many  obeisances.  Dr.  Tyler  told 
them  in  Bengalese  a  few  words  about  the  Em- 
press, and  translated  her  questions  and  their  an- 
swers. Their  costumes  were  brilliant  and  pic- 
turesque, and  we  took  some  photographs  of  them. 
This  delighted  the  "boys,"  and  they  enjoyed 
roaming  about  the  park  after  they  had  finished 
their  task. 

I  think  I  told  you  about  the  tea  the  Empress 
gave  Saturday  afternoon  (in  honor  of  the 
Queen's  birthday)  to  180  poor  children  from 
Farnborough  village  and  Aldershot  Camp.  The 
Empress  herself  went  down  to  the  school  to  greet 
her  little  guests,  and  we,  with  some  ladies  of 

160 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE,  ABOUT  1860 


DAILY  EVENTS 

the  parish  and  their  clergyman,  served  the  chil- 
dren who  had  wonderful  appetites.  Just  be- 
fore our  dinner  hour,  when  the  little  ones  had 
played  about  and  enjoyed  themselves  to  the  full, 
they  were  marshaled  into  the  Farnborough 
grounds  and  marched  past  the  Empress,  who 
stood  near  the  house  to  see  them.  They  cheered 
her  lustily,  and  also  the  Queen  and  the  royal 
family,  and  then  went  home  very  much  pleased,  I 
think,  that  the  Queen  had  attained  another  year 
and  given  them  the  opportunity  of  enjoying  such 
a  delightful  birthday  feast. 

On  Sunday  evening  at  about  10  o'clock,  M. 
Pietri  arrived  from  Paris,  having  crossed  the 
Channel  with  old  Prince  Lucien  Bonaparte.  M. 
Pietri  brought  with  him  a  nice  elderly  gentle- 
man, M.  Rainbeaux,1  who  formerly  held  a  high 
appointment,  Vecuyer  de  VEmpereur,  in  the  Im- 
perial household  of  Napoleon  III.  Also  a 
young  soldier  of  the  French  army,  Captain 
Bizot,  playfellow  of  the  Prince  Imperial  and  son 
of  General  Bizot,  whose  widow  was  made  gov- 
erness to  the  Prince  Imperial  at  his  birth;  and 
finally  M.  Urbain  Chevreau,  son  of  the  last  min- 
ister chosen  by  the  Empress.  All  are  very  gay 
and  merry,  and  the  house  is  quite  animated  now. 

On  Monday,  the  eve  of  the  seventh  anniver- 

i  Mentioned  elsewhere  in  connection  with  the  attempted  assas- 
sination of  the  Czar. 

161 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

sary  of  the  Prince's  death,  the  Empress  with 
Mme.  Le  Breton  went  privately  and  quietly  to 
Chislehurst  to  pray  at  her  son's  tomb,  as  she  said 
she  did  not  care  to  show  her  sorrow  to  the  cu- 
rious, who  would  probably  be  there  in  crowds 
next  day.  The  next  morning,  the  first  of  June, 
we  ladies  went  to  a  requiem  mass  at  the  camp 
church,  where  we  all  received  holy  communion. 
The  day  was  naturally  a  sad  one,  and  we  were 
very  glad  when  the  Duke,  M.  Pietri  and  the  three 
French  gentlemen,  who  attended  the  more  sol- 
emn requiem  at  Chislehurst,  returned,  as  then 
there  was  a  little  animation,  and  the  Empress  was 
obliged  to  put  her  own  sorrow  aside  for  her 
guests'  sake. 

Wednesday  in  the  morning,  M.  Rainbeaux, 
who  is  a  splendid  amateur  photographer,  took 
advantage  of  the  sunshine  to  take  some  views 
of  the  house  and  grounds.  For  one  of  these 
photographs  we  were  fetched  from  our  tent,  for 
a  group  with  the  gentlemen  of  the  party.  I  do 
not  know  what  the  result  will  be,  but  I  suppose 
time  will  reveal.  I  hope  M.  Rainbeaux  will  give 
me  some  prints  when  they  are  finished,  as  they 
will  be  a  nice  souvenir  of  Farnborough. 

Young  M.  Bizot  left  in  the  evening  for  Paris, 
and  tomorrow  M.  Chevreau  returns  to  France, 
too,  so  the  party  here  soon  grows  and  diminishes 
again. 

162 


DAILY  EVENTS 

In  the  evening,  apropos  of  foreign  deputa- 
tions, which  had  come  over  in  years  gone  by  to 
greet  the  Emperor  and  his  son  on  different  oc- 
casions, H.  I.  M.  told  us  the  following  funny 
anecdotes : 

One  was  about  a  Corsican,  who  forming 
part  of  a  deputation  to  the  Prince  Imperial  on 
his  legal  majority  (18  years)  in  1874,  got  as  far 
as  London  en  route  for  Chislehurst.  It  was  his 
first  journey  to  England.  He  went  to  bed, 
knowing  nothing  about  London  black  fogs. 
When  he  had  slept  himself  out  he  got  up,  but 
finding  it  still  dark  went  back  to  bed.  This 
manceuver  he  went  through  several  times,  always 
with  the  same  result.  At  last,  wondering  why 
he  felt  so  wide  awake  and  thinking  his  watch 
must  have  played  him  false,  he  rang  the  bell,  for 
he  heard  people  moving  about  the  hotel.  He 
made  some  inquiries,  and  found  it  was  the  late 
afternoon;  he  had  been  waiting  all  these  hours 
for  daylight,  which  never  came.  His  astonish- 
ment was  great  when  the  situation  was  explained 
to  him. 

Another  anecdote  was  about  a  member  of  the 
deputation  to  congratulate  Alfonso  XII,  the  late 
King  of  Spain,  on  his  twenty-first  birthday,  when, 
as  an  exile,  he  was  undergoing  his  military  train- 
ing at  Sandhurst  College.  This  Spaniard  left 
London  at  six  in  the  morning  and  only  arrived 

163 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

at  his  destination  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  his 
cravate  blanche  rather  the  worse  for  so  many 
hours  passed  in  the  underground  railway. 
When  he  got  to  the  necessary  underground  sta- 
tion, instead  of  changing  as  he  should  have  done, 
he  continued  on  quietly  going  round  and  round 
the  "Circle"  underground,  wondering  whether 
he  would  ever  get  to  the  terminus.  Finally,  well 
on  in  the  afternoon,  he  inquired  of  some  one  who 
understood  French,  and  was  put  on  the  right 
track  and  really  started  on  his  journey.  Arriv- 
ing finally  at  Sandhurst  he  expressed  his  astonish- 
ment, saying  naively:  "Mais  on  me  disait  que 
c'etait  tous  pres  de  Londres  [But  they  told  me 
it  was  near  London]." 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  6,  1886. 
Our  first  lesson  in  tennis,  given  us  by  Dr. 
Scott,  who  spent  the  day  with  us.  I  wish  we 
were  going  to  the  Exhibition.  We  and  others 
here  have  given  as  many  delicate  hints  as 
possible,  and  Dr.  Tyler  has  written  "by  desire 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,"  with  whom  he  dined 
the  other  evening,  to  say  that  all  could  be  ar- 
ranged comfortably  for  the  Empress  if  she  liked 
to  visit  the  Exhibition.  Nothing  has  as  yet  been 
decided.    I  suppose  we  shall  get  there  some  day, 

164 


Chas.  Taylor 

TOMB  OF  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON  III  AT  CHISLEHTJRST 

Afterward  removed  to  Farnborough  Hill 


Hills  &  Saunders 


TOMB  OF  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 

At  Farnborough  Hill 


DAILY  EVENTS 

and  at  any  rate  we  must  not  grumble,  as  we 
have  had  a  good  many  pleasures  lately,  and  hav- 
ing such  pleasant  visitors  in  the  house  is  an  agree- 
able change  from  the  daily  monotony. 

This  afternoon  while  I  am  writing,  M.  Rain- 
beaux  is  taking  photographs  again  in  different 
parts  of  the  grounds,  and  we  are  being  called  and 
grouped  constantly.  I  wish  the  Empress  would 
allow  herself  to  be  taken,  but  that,  unfortunately, 
she  will  not  consent  to.  She  has  an  almost  mor- 
bid horror  of  having  her  portrait  taken  now. 

I  told  you,  I  think,  that  on  Thursday  we  all 
went  with  Sir  Howard  and  Lady  Elphinstone 
by  special  permission,  to  see  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught's  place,  Bagshot  Park,  the  family  being 
away  at  the  time.  We  had  a  delightful  drive  in 
the  four-in-hand,  and  when  the  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself  in  the  conversation,  I  inquired  of  Sir 
Howard  if  he  had  seen  Sir  William  Anderson 
lately.  He  said,  no,  but  spoke  very  highly  of 
the  dear  old  man,  and  said  he  was  much  pleased 
to  meet  a  niece  of  his.  After  they  had  shown  us 
all  over  the  Duke  of  Connaught's  house,  which 
is  just  an  ordinary,  large,  comfortable  dwelling, 
but  nothing  more,  we  had  tea.  Lady  Elphin- 
stone had  ordered  it  beforehand,  and  did  the  hon- 
ors very  charmingly.  Then  we  went  out  to  the 
grounds  and  through  the  hothouses,  which  are 
really  very  fine.     Sir  Howard  picked  each  of  us 

165 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

a  flower  as  a  souvenir  of  our  visit.     Mine  was  a 
piece  of  stephanotis. 

On  Friday  nothing  happened  outside  the 
usual  routine,  but  yesterday  afternoon  we  three 
girls  went  in  the  landau  to  Sandhurst  Military 
College  grounds,  to  see  the  cadets'  athletic  sports. 
Part  of  the  grounds  were  inclosed  for  the  officers, 
their  families  and  friends,  and  we  met  a  good 
many  people  there  we  knew,  and  had  great  fun. 
The  most  ludicrous  thing  of  the  whole  affair  oc- 
cured  just  after  tea  and  before  the  giving  of  the 
prizes  (by  Lady  Jane  Taylor,  the  governor's 
wife).  It  was  a  donkey  race.  Imagine  about 
thirty-five  donkeys  with  their  riders  dressed  in 
the  most  absurd  costumes  possible.  An  organ- 
grinder's  monkey;  a  gigantic  youth  dressed  as  a 
baby  in  long  clothes,  and  urging  his  donkey  on 
with  his  feeding  bottle;  Gladstone  with  a  mask 
and  his  huge  collar — he  was  hissed  and  knocked 
about  unmercifully;  an  old  market  woman;  an 
elegante  with  parasol,  veil,  etc.;  several  chefs  in 
their  white  caps,  one  of  whom  won  the  race;  a 
barrister  with  wig  and  gown;  the  "Private  Secre- 
tary" with  all  his  innumerable  parcels  and  bun- 
dles; and  a  Japanese,  who  was  afterward  intro- 
duced to  us,  and  turns  out  to  be  young  Hussey 
Walsh.  It  was  great  fun ;  everyone  was  in  fits  of 
laughter  at  the  efforts  to  make  the  donkeys  go 
on,  and  the  tumbles  and  struggles  to  mount  again 

166 


DAILY  EVENTS 

incidental  to  the  petticoats  of  some  of  the  gal- 
lantly mounted  cadets,  added  not  a  little  to  the 
mirth.  There  are  a  good  many  more  coming 
events  on  the  horizon,  and  I  am  selfish  enough  to 
hope  there  will  not  be  too  many  visitors  here  when 
they  come  off,  as  I  should  be  obliged  sometimes 
then  to  relinquish  my  place  to  the  strangers. 

Thursday,  June  8.  After  tea,  lawn  tennis 
with  Dr.  Scott  and  M.  Rainbeaux.  Mme.  Le 
Breton  told  me  that  the  Empress,  accompanied 
by  her  nieces,  is  soon  going  to  the  Exhibition  by 
invitation  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  11,  1886. 

M.  and  A.  were  delighted  with  their  visit  to  the 
Exhibition,  and  well  they  might  be,  for  they  saw 
everything  under  the  best  auspices.  The  Em- 
press was  received  in  style  by  the  authorities,  and 
a  magnificent  carpet  was  laid  down  for  her  to 
walk  over.  They  were  shown  everything,  and 
at  twelve  Princess  Louise  and  the  Marquis  of 
Lome  joined  the  party,  and  there  was  a  great 
crowd,  it  appears,  to  watch  the  royal  and  im- 
perial ladies  meet  and  embrace  each  other. 

The  lunch  given  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  in 
his  own  pavilion  was  magnificent,  and  during  it 

167 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

a  band  of  the  Guards  serenaded  them.  Several 
very  pretty  little  souvenirs  were  ordered  by  the 
Prince  for  the  Empress  and  the  girls,  and  each 
of  the  ladies  had  a  beautiful  white  and  mauve 
bouquet  given  to  her.  The  whole  thing  was  roy- 
ally done,  and  the  Empress  it  appears  was  de- 
lighted, though  she  says  had  she  known  how  for- 
mal the  reception  was  to  be  she  would  have  re- 
fused to  go,  as  she  had  never,  since  the  Prince 
Imperial's  death,  consented  to  appear  in  public. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  16,  1886. 

Without  anything  special  having  occurred, 
what  with  studies,  walks,  perpetual  scrambling  to 
be  ready  for  meals,  going  to  bed  late  and  getting 
up  early,  I  have  not  had  a  minute  during  the 
last  few  days  to  write  to  you. 

Nearly  every  day  there  has  been  some  one  for 
lunch ;  on  Sunday,  Sir  Algernon  and  Lady  Both- 
wick,  and  their  little  boy,  who  is  at  school  near 
here  at  Mr.  Morton's.  On  Monday,  M.  le  Comte 
Minszech,  a  very  amusing  Austrian  and  a  great 
friend  of  the  Empress.  M.  Rainbeaux  left  on 
that  day,  so  we  shall  have  no  more  photographs 
taken  now.  Yesterday  Mme.  de  Arcos  came  to 
lunch,  bringing  with  her  Father  Antrobus  of  the 
Oratory.    Today  we  shall,  I  think,  be  only  our 

168 


DAILY  EVENTS 

own  home  party,  but  tomorrow  the  new  Spanish 
minister,  Leon  y  Castillo,  and  an  attache  from 
the  embassy,  Senor  Osma,  are  expected,  so  we 
shall  come  in  contact  with  plenty  of  new  people. 
This  makes  a  little  change  for  us,  as  with  the  ex- 
ception of  seeing  lunch  visitors,  our  everyday 
routine  is  at  present  unbroken.  We  had  so 
hoped  to  go  to  Ascot  for  the  races,  and  several 
friends  had  offered  to  take  us,  but  it  did  not  come 
off.  The  Empress  likes  arranging  surprises  her- 
self, and  I  fear  the  affair  failed  by  its  having 
been  too  much  spoken  of  beforehand. 

Mme.  Lefevre,  the  French  lady  who  is  still 
staying  here,  is  very  friendly,  bright  and  pleas- 
ant. We  shall  be  sorry  when  she  goes  back  to 
Paris.  Her  husband  was  prefet  (or  sous- pre  jet) 
under  the  Empire,  and  very  devoted  to  the  Bona- 
partes.  She  herself,  an  intelligent  partisan, 
worked  very  pluckily  in  the  Empress's  favor 
against  public  prejudice.  She  was  absolutely 
fearless,  and  when  everybody  turned  on  the  Em- 
press, she  showed  the  metal  she  was  made  of. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  19, 1886. 
Our  everyday  routine,  which  I  told  you  we  had 
quite   resumed,   was   broken,    and   very   much 
broken,  yesterday.    The  day  previous  the  Em- 

169 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

press  had  arranged  for  us  to  go  to  Windsor,  as 
she  wished  Mme.  Lefevre,  who  was  leaving  this 
morning,  to  see  the  castle  first.  Accordingly,  we 
left  here, — Mme.  Le  Breton,  Mme.  Lefevre,  M. 
Pietri  and  ourselves,  at  ten,  and  after  a  good 
many  changes  of  train,  arrived  at  Windsor.  We 
went  at  once  to  the  castle,  where  we  saw  the 
state  apartments,  and  enjoyed  them  very  much. 
I  need  not  tell  you  anything  about  them,  because 
you  are  familiar  with  them,  and  besides  I  must 
hurry,  so  as  to  get  on  to  the  telling  of  the  end  of 
our  day. 

After  lunching  at  a  restaurant,  we  drove  from 
Windsor  through  the  beautiful  park  to  Virginia 
Water,  where  we  again  took  the  train  and  were 
back  at  Farnborough  about  seven.  We  were 
glad  to  find  some  tea  waiting  for  us,  as  it  was  a 
very  warm  day  and  we  were  tired  out.  We  quite 
appreciated  the  Empress's  kind  thought. 

Now,  before  I  go  on,  I  must  tell  you  that  M. 
had  been  invited  to  a  ball  that  night.  Yesterday 
morning  she  heard  that  General  and  Mrs.  Byrne 
could  not  take  her,  which  was,  of  course,  a  great 
disappointment,  but  she  had  philosophically  made 
up  her  mind  to  give  it  up.  After  dinner,  just  as 
we  were  going  into  the  drawing-room  about  nine 
o'clock,  the  Empress  called  me  aside  and  said, 
how  sorry  she  was  for  M.'s  disappointment,  and 
asked  me  if  I  would  be  willing  to  take  Mrs. 

170 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Byrne's  place  and  go  with  her.  Of  course  I  was 
willing,  so  the  Empress  announced  to  M.  that  I 
would  chaperon  her  and  she  might  go  after  all, 
ordered  the  carriage,  and  sent  us  off  upstairs  to 
dress.  She  herself  went  up  to  her  own  room  to 
choose  me  some  pairs  of  evening  gloves  from  her 
store,  besides  getting  with  her  own  hands  some 
flowers,  as  I  had  neither  proper  gloves  nor  flowers 
on  hand  at  the  time.  An  hour  later  we  two  were 
starting  off  together  in  the  large  carriage,  M.  in 
a  pretty  white  tulle  dress  and  I  in  my  new  pink 
(the  Empress's  Easter  gift),  which  came  in  most 
appropriately  and  looked  very  handsome.  The 
ball  was  at  Sandhurst  Military  College,  and  given 
by  the  cadets  and  officers  in  charge. 

Lady  Jane  Taylor,  who  received,  was  very  gra- 
cious and  introduced  numbers  of  dancers  to  M. 
and  myself.  She  danced  the  whole  night  and  I 
could  have  done  the  same,  but  I  thought  best  to 
refuse  during  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  not 
knowing  exactly  what  was  expected  of  me  as 
M.'s  chaperon.  Several  ladies,  however,  who 
knew  us  well  and  who  often  come  here,  pressed 
me  very  much  to  dance  too,  and  as  I  saw  M.  en- 
joying herself,  I  accepted  the  partners  found  for 
me  and  started  in.  By  that  time  it  was  a  mere 
pretense  of  dancing,  for  there  was  such  a  ter- 
rible crush  that  one  only  got  trodden  on  and  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  around  the  room.     You 

171 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

will  readily  believe  this  when  I  tell  you  that  there 
were  nearly  800  people  present  in  all, — cadets, 
officers,  and  their  friends.  The  scarlet  and  High- 
land uniforms  with  the  ladies'  dresses,  which  were 
mostly  white,  looked  very  effective  indeed.  The 
supper  and  refreshments  were  served  in  a  mar- 
quee adjoining  the  ball  room. 

At  two  o'clock  we  returned  home,  as  we  had 
promised  to  be  in  early,  but  I  do  not  suppose  the 
ball  was  over  till  four  o'clock  at  least.  I  was  not 
in  bed  until  daylight,  for  having  been  away  all 
day  in  Windsor,  and  dressed  and  redressed  sev- 
eral times  in  much  violent  haste,  I  got  everything 
topsy-turvey  in  my  room  to  such  a  degree,  that  it 
was  a  long  time  before  I  could  disentangle  and 
straighten  them  out  sufficiently  to  get  into  bed. 

June  22.  Mme.  Bartolini,  an  old  friend  of  the 
Empress's,  another  of  the  small  coterie  of  fearless 
women  who  upheld  the  Empress  in  French  so- 
ciety when  vast  numbers  were  against  her,  ar- 
rived from  Paris  for  a  few  days'  visit. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  23, 1886. 
Yesterday,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayliff  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  and  who  are  traveling  in  Eng- 
land, lunched  here,  bringing  with  them  a  whole 

172 


~     a 


DAILY  EVENTS 

bazaar ful  of  curiosities  from  South  Africa  for 
the  Empress.  They  had  been  very  kind  and  had 
entertained  her  on  the  Cape  in  1880.  They  are 
simple  genuine  people,  and  enjoyed  their  visit 
here  very  much.  They  know  Mr.  Wilmot  out 
there,  it  seems.  A  Captain  Pemberton  of  the 
Royal  Engineers  (on  leave  from  Malta,  a  friend 
of  Captain  Auld)  arrived  and  lunched  here  too, 
and  we  all,  at  three  o'clock,  drove  over  to  Alder- 
shot  to  see  some  athletic  sports  given  by  the  offi- 
cers of  the  regiments  quartered  there.  It  was 
much  the  same  as  at  Sandhurst  lately,  but  on  a 
grander  scale. 

Dr.  Scott  remained  with  us  all  the  afternoon, 
and  we  only  got  home  at  6:30.  M.  went  after- 
wards to  a  ball  at  the  Officers'  Club  with  General 
and  Mrs.  Byrne. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
June  24, 1886. 
I  think  there  is  just  a  possibility  of  our  going 
up  to  London  soon,  as  on  July  2  there  is  to  be 
a  grand  review  at  Aldershot,  and  according  to 
present  plans  the  Queen  and  royal  family  are  to 
be  present,  and  will  stay  at  the  Queen's  pavilion 
for  two  or  three  days.  Queen  Victoria,  the  Em- 
press says,  is  sure  one  day  to  invite  herself  over 
to  lunch,  and  as  she  hates  making  new  acquaint- 

173 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ances,  and  as  the  girls  were  despatched  off  to 
London  the  last  time  she  came,  we  might  all  be 
sent  off  on  this  occasion. 

Wednesday,  June  80.  The  Marquise  de  la 
Valette  and  Earl  Sidney  came  to  lunch.  Talk- 
ing of  his  coming  visit,  the  Empress  spoke  so 
nicely  of  the  latter  and  his  wife,  and  said,  "J'aime 
tou jours  tant  a  voir  les  Sidneys  ensemble,  ils  sont 
comme  au  premier  jour  de  leur  mariage — il  ne  se 
quittent  jamais.  C'est  rafraichissant  de  voir 
comme  ils  s'aiment."  1 

At  five  Mme.  Juliette  Conneau  and  her  daugh- 
ter arrived  on  a  visit  from  Paris.  She  was  the 
widow  of  Dr.  Conneau  who  had  been  for  many 
years  the  Emperor's  faithful  physician,  be- 
queathed to  him  so  to  speak  by  his  mother,  of 
whom  he  had  taken  much  devoted  care  in  her  last 
illness.  He  was  one  of  the  Emperor's  most  faith- 
ful friends,  and  had  been  in  prison  with  him  for 
six  years  in  the  fortress  of  Ham,  in  1840,  and 
helped  him  escape  later  on;  and  again  at  Wil- 
helmshohe  after  being  made  prisoner  with  his 
Imperial  master  at  the  battle  of  Sedan,  1870. 
The  story  the  Empress  told  us  of  Mme.  Con- 
neau's  marriage  was  a  romantic  one.     Both  fam- 

i  "I  do  so  like  to  see  the  Sidneys  together — they  are  exactly 
as  in  the  first  days  of  their  married  life  —  they  are  inseparable. 
It  is  refreshing  to  See  bow  they  love  each  other." 

174 


DAILY  EVENTS 

ilies  lived  at  that  time  in  Corsica,  and  the  doctor 
was  an  intimate  friend  of  Juliette's  father  when 
she  was  quite  a  little  girl.  Conneau  often  talked 
to  her  and  told  her  stories,  and  used  sometimes 
jestingly  in  his  daily  visits  to  the  house,  to  call 
her  "his  little  wife."  »  This  went  on  for  years,  and 
everyone  had  grown  so  accustomed  to  the  appel- 
lation that  no  one  attached  any  meaning  to  it 
whatever.  The  doctor,  however,  who  had  been 
steadily  growing  fonder  of  his  little  friend,  went 
one  day  to  her  father  and  said,  "What  I  have  been 
calling  your  daughter  in  jest  for  years,  I  wish 
could  come  true — I  wish  you  would  let  me  marry 
her."  The  father  was  much  astonished  and  pro- 
tested that  Conneau  was  much  too  old,  for  though 
only  thirty  he  was  more  than  double  her  age. 
He  agreed,  however,  when  he  saw  that  Conneau 
was  in  earnest.  "You  are  my  best  friend  and  I 
could  wish  no  better  husband  for  my  daughter. 
So,  if  she  is  willing,  I  consent  to  the  match,  but 
it  must  be  of  her  own  free  will — there  must  be 
no  pressure  brought  to  bear  on  her." 

Juliette  was  then  just  fourteen.  The  doc- 
tor went  to  her  at  once,  told  her  that  he  was 
really  serious,  and  asked  her  what  she  thought 
about  the  project,  and  whether  she  would  like  to 
marry  him.  There  and  then  she  answered,  "Oh 
certainly,  I  like  you  very  much.  I  should  be 
glad  to  be  your  wife,  but  on  one  condition.     You 

175 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

must  do  one  thing  for  me — take  me  where  I  can 
have  singing  lessons."  Of  course  he  said  "yes>" 
and  so  very  joyfully,  and  in  a  very  childlike  way 
she  accepted  the  doctor.  They  were  married 
before  her  fifteenth  birthday,  having  first  ob- 
tained special  license  from  the  Emperor,  as  she 
was  under  the  legal  marriageable  age.  The  Em- 
peror was  delighted  that  his  friend  should  marry 
out  of  love,  and  the  union  turned  out  a  remark- 
ably happy  one,  in  spite  of  the  disparity  of  their 
years. 

Louis,  the  son,  who  once  came  on  a  visit  to 
Farnborough,  was  barely  sixteen  years  younger 
than  herself,  and,  mother  and  son  were  the  great- 
est friends,  almost  playmates.  Mme.  Conneau, 
once  married,  got  her  heart's  desire, — singing  les- 
sons by  the  best  masters, — and  was  found  to  have 
a  most  beautiful  voice.  Dr.  Conneau  being  the 
Emperor's  physician,  the  family  always  lived 
within  reach  of  one  of  the  royal  residences,  either 
Fontainebleau  or  Compiegne  where  the  Imperial 
family  came  at  stated  times  of  the  year.  Louis 
Conneau  was  a  constant  playfellow  of  the  Prince 
Imperial's.  Mme.  Conneau,  in  talking  over 
those  days  to  me,  told  me  how  anxious  she  used 
to  be  during  many  hours  daily,  because  these 
two  boys  were  so  daring.  They  kept  her  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  anxiety,  until  it  was  time  for 
Monseigneur  to  go  home,  and  she  felt  that  she 

176 


DAILY  EVENTS 

could  conscientiously  have  her  mind  at  rest  until 
his  next  visit  the  following  day.  The  Empress 
told  her  not  to  interfere  with  or  protect  him,  and 
let  him  have  absolute  freedom  to  do  whatever  he 
wanted.  So,  these  two  venturesome  boys  spent 
most  of  the  time  climbing  chimneys,  jumping 
from  roof  to  roof,  and  doing  all  sorts  of  danger- 
ous things,  which  she  was  powerless  to  prevent, 
but  for  which  she  felt  nevertheless  she  would  have 
been  held  morally  responsible  if  any  accident  had 
happened.  Small  wonder  then  her  relief  when 
the  Prince  went  home  safely  in  the  evening. 

When,  after  her  husband's  death,  she  was  left 
with  little  money  to  live  upon  and  educate  her 
children,  she  turned  her  talent  to  account,  became 
a  professional  singer,  and  this  very  charming 
woman  was  soon  extremely  popular  in  Paris. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
July  1,  1886. 
Today  on  coming  up  to  my  bedroom  I  found 
a  quantity  of  pretty  flowered  sateen  on  my  bed, 
and  on  inquiry  found  that  the  Empress  had  sent 
it  me  as  a  little  surprise  gift.  She  had  been  get- 
ting a  number  of  pretty  dresses  for  her  nieces  and 
wanted  me  to  have  the  same.  It  was  nice  of  her 
to  think  of  me. 

Tomorrow  will  be  the  review.     Earl  Sidney, 
177 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

who  lunched  here  yesterday,  told  us  that  the 
Queen's  plans  are  all  changed;  instead  of  remain- 
ing three  days,  she  is  to  arrive  at  4:30  p.  m.  for 
the  review  only.  It  will  commence  at  five,  be 
over  about  nine,  and  then  her  Majesty  will  return 
at  once  to  Windsor,  and  according  to  this  plan, 
she  will  not  of  course  come  to  Farnborough  at 
all.  I  hope  we  shall  all  go  to  the  review,  but  I 
doubt  it,  as  we  are  such  a  large  party  now,  and 
I  do  not  think  the  Empress  will  care  to  have  her 
several  pairs  of  horses  out  for  so  many  hours 
at  a  stretch. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
July  4,  1886. 

They  are  in  the  midst  of  hay-making  just  now. 
The  Park  looks  very  picturesque  with  the  har- 
vesters and  the  haycocks. 

Mme.  de  Arcos  and  Mrs.  Vaughan  were  here 
for  the  review  and  were  going  to  Brighton  the 
next  day  to  see  my  aunt  and  give  her  news  of  me. 
She  will  be  much  pleased.  I  need  not  tell  you 
anything  about  the  review  itself;  the  papers  gave 
a  better  account  of  it  than  I  could.  We  went  a 
party  of  twelve.  We  saw  everything;  we  were 
in  one  of  the  enclosures  and  quite  close  to  the 
royal  carriages,  whose  occupants  we  readily 
recognized.     There  were  present  the  Queen,  with 

178 


DAILY  EVENTS 

Princess  Beatrice  and  Prince  Henry  of  Batten- 
berg;  Princess  Louise  of  Lome;  the  Princess  of 
Wales  with  her  three  daughters;  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  Prince  Albert  Victor;  the  old  Duke 
of  Cambridge;  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Con- 
naught  ;  and  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Teck  with 
Princess  Victoria,  or  Princess  May,  as  she  is  gen- 
erally called.  The  march  past  was  a  grand  sight, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  blinding  dust,  would 
have  been  perfect.  To  our  delight,  we  found  in 
the  carriage  delicious  sandwiches,  fruits,  soda 
water  and  champagne,  so  we  refreshed  ourselves. 
We  left  the  review  ground  at  7 :30,  as  soon  as  the 
Queen  left,  and  returned  home  to  dine  a  party  of 
fourteen. 

Monday,  July  9.  Dr.  Scott  called  in  the  after- 
noon to  play  tennis,  while  the  girls  and  Mme.  Le 
Breton  were  at  a  garden  party;  we  two  were 
alone  with  the  Empress. 

Over  our  cups  of  tea,  we  talked  of  her  very 
early  days  in  England.  The  Empress  told  us 
that  she  "failli  prendre  la  maison  a  Berkeley 
Square  [had  been  on  the  point  of  taking  the  house 
at  Berkeley  Square],"  celebrated  for  its  terrible 
ghost  stories,  which  have  kept  it  uninhabited  dur- 
ing several  decades.  She  actually  went  over  the 
building  with  the  Prince,  with  a  view  to  hiring  it, 
but  on  coming  out  was  warned  by  a  strange  gen- 

179 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

tleman  who  saw  they  were  unknowing  strangers.1 
Also  about  a  visit  to  Huntley  and  Palmer's  enor- 
mous biscuit  factory;  her  sensations  in  going  up 
en  ascenseur  for  the  first  time;  and  how  very 
many  biscuits  she  had  to  croquer  before  she  left 
the  large  building  with  its  4000  workmen.  At 
each  different  section  of  the  many  rooms  she  vis- 
ited, she  had  to  accept  and  eat  samples  pressed 
upon  her  by  the  hands,  who  wanted  to  do  her  the 
honor  of  presenting  her  with  their  own  special 
brand. 

Talking  of  Camden  Hill  and  a  tame  monkey 
of  hers,  the  Empress  told  us  how  angry  he  became 
with  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy  for  laughing  at 
him  one  day.  It  was  at  afternoon  tea,  and  the 
little  creature  came  up  to  the  tea  tray  gibbering, 
made  a  dash  at  the  cups  and  saucers,  and  viciously 
smashed  the  valuable  Sevres  service  all  to  bits 
before  he  could  be  stopped.  She  told  us  also  of 
her  mingled  horror  and  embarrassment  once, 
when  this  same  monkey  jumped  onto  the  head  of 
a  solemn  diplomat  who  was  calling  on  her,  and 
made  off  with  the  wig  he  wore.  The  monkey  had 
for  some  unknown  reason  taken  a  special  dislike 
to  him.  After  this  escapade  the  monkey  had  to 
be  relegated  to  a  menagerie. 

i  It  has  since  been  pulled  down  as  unprofitable  property. 


180 


^i^w 

c^ 

DAILY  EVENTS 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
July  7, 1886. 

We  have  had  several  people  here  lately.  Old 
Prince  Lucien  Bonaparte  dined  with  us  on  Mon- 
day. He  is  the  son  of  Lucien,  brother  of  Na- 
poleon I,  and  there  is  no  mistaking  his  kinship. 
The  likeness  is  the  more  striking,  as  he  even  has 
the  trick  of  sticking  his  left  hand  into  the  front 
of  his  buttoned-up  coat  in  exactly  the  same  way 
the  Petit  Corporal  did.  He  is  quite  poor;  lives 
in  a  small  house  in  Bayswater,  and  devotes  his 
entire  life  to  scientific  research.  He  is  a  great 
chemist  and  naturalist. 

Yesterday  M.  D'Antas,  the  Portuguese  Min- 
ister, and  his  wife  dined  here,  and  today  Countess 
Clary  has  arrived  for  a  visit  of  a  day  or  two. 

Thursday,  July  8.  The  Dowager-Marchion- 
ess of  Ely  came  to  lunch  and  stayed  till  4:45. 
She  was  for  many  years  Mistress  of  the  Robes 
and  intimate  friend  of  Queen  Victoria.  Mme. 
Conneau  sang  several  songs  for  us  after  luncheon. 
She  has  a  lovely  voice  and  we  all  enjoyed  listen- 
ing to  her  very  much.  A  little  song  by  Augusta 
Holmes  called  Noel  especially  took  our  fancy. 

Tuesday,  July  13.  I  returned  to  Farnborough 
after  a  few  days'  absence  at  Downside.  I  had 
the  same  nice  welcome  which  has  always  awaited 

181 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

me  on  my  various  homecomings.  Found  the 
Marquise  de  la  Valette  here  on  a  visit. 

We  heard  definitely  this  evening  that  we  are 
going  Saturday  next  to  Osborne,  on  a  visit  to  the 
Queen. 

Thursday,  July  15.  The  Pere  Pollin  came  to 
see  the  Empress.  After  much  cogitation  all  is 
finally  settled  now;  the  Premonstratensians  x  are 
coming  to  take  charge  of  the  Empress's  Memorial 
Church  and  the  monastery  adjoining,  as  soon  as 
completed. 

Friday,  July  16.  Mrs.  Byrne  and  Mrs.  Scott 
came  to  take  leave  of  the  Empress. 

i  Members  of  a  religions  order  founded  at  Premontr6,  France, 
in  1119. 


182 


PART  III 

THE  EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN   VICTORIA 

From  a  letter : 

Osborne  Cottage, 

East  Cowes,  Isle  of  Wight, 
11:30  p.m.,  July  17, 1886. 
It  is  late  as  you  see,  but  I  cannot  go  to  bed 
without  at  least  commencing  a  few  lines  to  tell 
you  all  about  this  day,  which  has  been  tiring 
though  a  very  pleasant  one.  My  note  written 
this  morning  must  have  reached  you  tonight,  and 
told  you  that  we  left  Farnborough  at  1 :50  p.  m.  ; 
the  horses,  carriages  and  most  of  the  servants  hav- 
ing gone  ahead  yesterday  to  be  in  readiness  for  us 
here  today.  We  reached  Southampton  at  3:30 
p.  m.,  and  went  down  to  the  docks  accompanied 
by  the  station-master  and  part  of  the  crew,  num- 
bers of  people  lining  the  way,  for  they  had  seen 
the  royal  yacht  getting  up  steam,  and  were  curi- 
ous to  know  who  the  distinguished  travelers  might 
be.  The  pretty  little  Alberta  was  put  at  our  dis- 
posal. Its  white  and  gold  fittings,  bright  awn- 
ings, and  the  scarlet  drugget  on  the  gangway, 

183 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

looked  very  gay  and  made  a  good  groundwork 
for  the  uniforms  of  the  naval  officers  and  the 
crew,  drawn  up  to  receive  the  Empress.  We 
went  all  over  the  yacht  before  she  weighed  anchor, 
and  then  sat  on  the  upper  deck  enjoying  the  fine 
weather  and  the  pretty  view  of  the  harbor.  The 
short  journey  to  the  Isle  of  Wight  was  over  only 
too  soon,  and  at  4:30  we  came  ashore  at  Trin- 
ity Pier,  the  Queen's  private  landing,  with  much 
formality,  and  found  our  own  carriages  waiting 
for  us.  By  6:15  we  had  reached  Osborne  Cot- 
tage, enjoyed  the  first  peep  at  our  rooms,  and 
were  drinking  some  delicious  tea  all  together. 
We  thoroughly  appreciated  it  after  an  hour's 
blow  on  the  sea.1  Directly  afterward  the  Em- 
press, M.,  A.  and  I  started  out  for  a  walk.  The 
Empress  wished  to  show  us  the  little  old  town  of 
West  Cowes,  of  which  she  is  very  fond,  and  she  is 
obliged  to  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines,  for  on 
Tuesday  the  Queen  arrives,  and  she  would  be  hor- 
rified, and  would  positively  veto  for  the  Empress 
a  trip  on  foot  through  the  long,  narrow,  strag- 
gling street  which  constitutes  the  town.  En 
chemin  we  met  Lady  Burgoyne,  who  was  de- 
lighted to  see  the  Empress  and  took  us  off  to  the 
Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Club,  where  her  husband, 

i  On  our  arrival  we  telegraphed  our  absent  hostess:  "To  the 
Queen,  Windsor.  Just  arrived,  splendid  passage.  Osborne  looks 
quite  beautiful. — Comtesse  de  Pierrefonds." 

184 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Sir  John,  joined  us  and  did  the  honors  of  the 
place.  We  returned  at  8  p.  m.,  just  in  time  to  go 
to  table  (we  do  not  dress  for  dinner  here). 
After  dinner  we  sat  in  the  drawing-room  a  while 
and  came  upstairs  rather  early.  I  have  since  un- 
packed all  my  belongings  and  written  this,  and 
now  I  must  really  pop  into  bed,  for  I  am  quite 
tired  out.  I  shall  add  more  to  my  letter  tomor- 
row, but  think  it  prudent  to  get  at  least  so  far 
done,  in  case  of  unforeseen  hindrances  later. 
Good  night. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage,  July  20,  1886. 
This  is  a  cottage  in  name  only  1 — in  reality  it 
is  a  pretty  little  country  house,  with  a  large  ver- 
anda running  around  it.  There  is  a  central  stair- 
case, and  all  the  bedrooms  open  out  into  a  gallery 
overlooking  the  hall.  The  whole  is  daintily  and 
simply  decorated,  the  furniture  very  plain,  old- 
fashioned,  and  stiff, — but  it  is  impressed  upon  us 
many  times  a  day  that  we  must  nevertheless  be 
very  careful  of  everything,  as  the  Queen  is  most 
particular.  She  will  notice  the  least  damage 
done  to  anything,  when,  at  the  end  of  our  visit, 
following  her  usual  plan,  she  may  come  in  person 

i  The  castle  being  too  small  for  guests  after  the  accommodation 
of  the  large  royal  household,  the  Queen  was  in  the  habit  of  offering 
Osborne  Cottage  and  others,  built  on  her  own  grounds,  to  members 
of  her  family  or  distinguished  visitors. 

185 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

as  the  Empress  has  known  her  to  do,  and  look 
over  the  empty  cottage  with  a  housekeeper. 

There  being  only  the.  one  little  sitting-room,  we 
are  not  supposed  to  leave  any  of  our  personal 
things  about.  The  chairs  must  remain  during 
our  stay  arranged  exactly  as  we  found  them,  also 
the  books  on  the  central  table;  anything  that  is 
moved  must  be  put  back  on  the  same  spot.  It  is 
the  only  place  into  which  the  Queen  or  the  prin- 
cesses can  be  shown,  and  as  they  are  likely  to 
come  in  at  any  moment,  it  is  kept  more  or  less 
sacred  to  Her  Majesty,  and  we  therefore  com- 
monly use  the  dining-room  or  our  own  rooms. 
One  royal  housemaid  belongs  permanently  in  the 
house  as  caretaker,  but  the  Empress  has  had  to 
provide  all  the  other  servants,  carriages,  horses 
and  silver.  Gifts  of  most  delicious  French  bread, 
though,  are  brought  us  every  morning  from  the 
royal  bakers,  and  fruit  from  the  Queen's  hot- 
houses. 

Since  the  first  day's  walk  we  have  not  seen 
much  of  Cowes,  as  the  girls  have  been  busy,  and 
when  there  has  been  leisure  after  tea,  torrents  of 
rain  have  come  down  regularly  to  drive  us  imme- 
diately home ;  but  I  think  we  are  soon  going  for  a 
little  trip  on  the  coach,  which  passes  this  door 
daily  on  its  way  to  Carisbrooke  Castle,  and  per- 
haps other  expeditions  may  be  proposed. 

You  were  very  much  in  my  thoughts  on  Sun- 
186 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

day.  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  the  two  girls  sat  in 
what  you  have  described  to  me  as  your  old  pew 
in  the  quaint  little  Catholic  church.  ( I  pictured 
you  and  my  aunt  as  little  girls  kneeling  there  with 
your  mother.)  I  knelt  just  behind  them  with  the 
Due  de  Bassano.  The  Empress  had  a  priedieu 
in  the  sanctuary.  I  wish  I  could  identify  the 
house  you  used  to  live  in,  and  which  you  describe. 
Lady  Burgoyne  knows  our  friend  Captain  Thel- 
luson  very  well.  The  Boadicea  she  tells  me  has 
been  sold  and  belongs  to  an  elderly  maiden  lady, 
who  has  rechristened  it  the  Ariadne.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peter  Thelluson  are  coming  down  here  for 
the  regatta.  They  have  only  a  tiny  yacht.  Lady 
Burgoyne  is  going  to  find  out  all  she  can  about 
their  plans  and  let  me  know. 

On  Sunday,  as  our  royal  hostess  had  not  yet 
arrived,  the  Empress,  with  whom  we  went  for  a 
very  long  walk  in  Cowes,  took  the  opportunity  of 
showing  us  over  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
grounds  of  Osborne  Castle  ( it  is  known  officially 
as  Osborne  House),  a  modern  building  erected 
by  Queen  Victoria.  She  told  us  the  while  many 
interesting  things  about  it  all.  The  park  is 
magnificent,  and  the  view  of  the  sea  through  the 
foliage  is  beautiful.  We  went  down  and  picked 
up  shells  on  the  sand,  while  the  Empress  rested 
part  of  the  time.  We  saw  Princess  Beatrice's 
bathing  place  and  walked  along  the  lovely  ter- 

187 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

race  wall,  which,  shaded  with  trees  and  overhang- 
ing rocks,  skirts  the  sea  for  miles.  How  the  good 
breeze  there  would  have  refreshed  you,  dear  G., 
if  our  long,  steady  tramp  of  two  and  a  half  hours 
had  not  first  killed  you. 

In  front  of  the  castle  there  are  some  trees 
planted  many  years  ago  by  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  and  quite  a  few  others  put  there  by 
celebrated  personages.  The  names  of  most  of 
the  sovereigns  and  princes  of  Europe  are  in- 
scribed on  the  little  metal  plates  which  record  the 
date  of  planting.  This  afternoon  at  1:30  amid 
great  clatter  of  horses  and  carriages,  Highland 
regiments  and  bagpipes,  the  Queen  arrived,  and 
everything  is  bustle  and  brightness  in  the  land 
now.  A  mounted  messenger  has  already  come 
up  to  the  cottage  to  announce  the  first  royal  visit, 
and  another  followed  a  few  minutes  later  bearing 
notice  of  postponement  and  change  of  plans, 
which  will  keep  us  constantly  on  the  qui  vive. 
Her  Majesty  is  expected  any  minute  now,  and 
everyone  has  retired  to  his  or  her  room,  so  as  not 
to  be  in  the  way.  It  is  not  etiquette  for  anyone 
to  be  seen,  except  those  whom  the  Queen  has  spe- 
cially asked  for,  and  it  is  still  worse  form  to  be 
seen  hurrying  away.  To  avoid  the  dilemma, 
therefore,  there  is  nothing  for  us  to  do  in  this  tiny 
house  but  to  remain  closely  secluded. 

188 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

The  Empress  has  just  sent  up  word  to  the  girls 
that  if  the  Queen  asks  for  them,  they  will  be 
fetched,  if  not,  they  are  to  remain  out  of  sight. 
I  have  been  showing  them  how  to  improve  their 
low  courtesy,  as  I  am  supposed  by  the  Empress 
to  be  an  adept.  Mme.  de  Arcos  arrived  here  yes- 
terday to  stay  some  time. 

I  should  answer  H.,  but  I  have  not  a  moment. 
It  is  only  thanks  to  the  Queen's  presence  that  we 
are  at  this  moment  comfortably  installed  in  our 
rooms  and  have  ink.  So  far  we  have  had  to  stay 
in  the  garden  with  our  books  a  good  part  of  the 
day,  and  are  not  allowed  even  to  take  an  inkstand 
about  with  us,  for  fear  of  spilling  it.  This  is  one 
of  the  privileges  (?)  of  living  in  a  house  belong- 
ing to  Queen  Victoria. 

It  seems  so  funny  to  have  everything  in  the 
house  marked  with  the  Queen's  familiar  mono- 
gram "V.  R.,"  and  the  arms  of  England, — even 
the  hot  water  cans,  towels,  sheets,  and  books.  It 
is  also  strange  to  see  nothing  on  the  walls  but  por- 
traits and  engravings  of  the  different  members  of 
the  royal  family.  Over  the  piano  is  an  engrav- 
ing after  Winterhalter,  representing  the  Prince 
Consort,  the  Queen  and  three  or  four  of  her  chil- 
dren ;  and  a  Landseer,  Prince  Consort  and  Dogs, 
is  another  one.     Goodby  for  the  present. 


189 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  22,  1886. 

I  said  I  should  only  write  to  you  after  the  naval 
review  tomorrow,  but  as  I  have  a  little  time  today, 
while  M.  and  A.  are  writing  home  to  their  uncle, 
and  as  I  may  possibly  not  have  a  minute  later,  it 
is  best  to  begin  while  I  can.  Yesterday  morning 
we  went  for  a  walk  with  the  Empress  and  Mme. 
de  Arcos.  We  missed  our  way  and  got  lost. 
An  unknown  lady  we  met  showed  us  the  right 
road,  and  invited  us  to  her  house,  where  we  sat 
and  rested  on  her  veranda,  and  admired  her  lovely 
sea  view.  Mrs.  Firman,  as  her  name  turned  out 
to  be,  was  delighted  at  the  opportunity  of  thus 
unexpectedly  giving  hospitality  to  the  Empress, 
and  begged  us  to  come  again. 

After  lunch  at  three,  the  Empress,  the  Duke, 
and  Mme.  Le  Breton  returned  the  Queen's  of- 
ficial visit  of  the  day  before.  We  three  girls 
started  for  a  drive,  but  the  blue  sky  was  suddenly 
obscured,  and  such  torrents  of  rain  fell  we  were 
obliged  to  turn  back  immediately.  This  morn- 
ing, for  the  first  time,  A.  took  a  sea  bath.  I  ac- 
companied her,  but  did  not  care  to  go  into  the 
water,  as  the  beach  here  is  covered  with  rough 
shingle,  and  as  it  is  necessary  to  hold  a  rope  on 
account  of  dangerous  undercurrents  the  bath 
would  have  seemed  too  stupid  after  the  delightful 

190 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

freedom  of  Ostend.  A.  found  it  a  great  scram- 
ble, as  we  had  driven  to  the  bathing  place  (quite 
the  other  side  of  West  Cowes)  with  the  Empress, 
who  got  out  and  walked  with  Mme.  de  Arcos 
while  we  were  down  at  the  water's  edge,  and  of 
course  we  could  not  keep  her  waiting  too  long. 
Tomorrow  will  be  the  naval  review,  and  unless 
plans  are  changed  between  this  time  and  then,  we 
are  going  with  Mme.  de  Arcos  to  see  it,  on  board 
the  man-of-war  Northampton,  which  is  com- 
manded by  Captain  Fane,  a  cousin  of  hers. 

Princess  Beatrice  says  she  does  not  know 
whether  the  Queen  will  be  present.  Her  Maj- 
esty thinks  herself  it  would  be  well  for  her  to  do 
so,  but  she  so  hates  and  dreads  the  sea,  and  it 
makes  her  so  ill  and  nervous,  that  her  daughter 
has  not  the  courage  to  "persuade  mamma"  to  go. 
It  seems  she  told  Prince  Henry,  who  was  urging 
the  Queen  to  go,  that  if  he  knew  the  state  her 
mother  would  be  in,  he  would  never  again  press 
her  to  do  so.  The  yacht  Alberta  and  the  other 
larger  royal  yacht,  Victoria  and  Albert,  are  ly- 
ing in  readiness,  in  case  they  are  needed  by  the 
castle.  I  think  the  Empress  is  going  to  dine 
with  the  Queen  this  evening,  but  alone,  without 
any  lady  or  gentleman  to  accompany  her,  as  Her 
Majesty  finds  it  too  hot  for  large  parties  just 
now,  the  Empress  says. 

M.  and  A.  have  not  been  presented  yet.  Tire- 
191 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

some,  after  our  long  wait  of  two  and  a  half  hours 
the  other  day,  closely  imprisoned  in  our  rooms, 
without  being  able  even  to  go  out  and  to  get  a 
book, — and  with  no  work,  or  anything  on  earth 
to  do.  It  was  exasperating,  but  it  will  be  the  last 
time,  I  hope,  that  this  will  happen,  as  that  was  the 
Queen's  official  visit.  From  now  on,  Her  Maj- 
esty's daily  calls  will  be  quite  private  and  in- 
formal. She  comes  down  now  through  her 
grounds  from  Osborne  Castle  alone,  and  across 
the  road  which  separates  our  place  from  hers, 
passing  through  a  small  wicket  gate  just  opposite 
my  window.  At  any  hour  in  the  morning  now 
we  are  apt  to  hear  the  key  turn  in  the  lock,  and 
see  her  appear  through  the  gate  and  walk  into  the 
cottage  unannounced,  with  possibly  one  of  her  lit- 
tle grandchildren  or  her  collie  dog  for  sole  com- 
panion. Then  I  am  always  supposed  to  give  the 
alarm  quickly:  "The  Queen,"  which  promptly 
sends  the  rest  of  the  household,  Mmes.  Le  Breton 
and  de  Arcos,  the  Due  de  Bassano  and  others, 
scrambling  to  their  various  rooms  to  leave  the 
coast  clear. 

If  the  morning  visit  fails,  Her  Majesty  sends 
a  messenger  in  the  afternoon  to  name  the  hour 
she  will  come  for  afternoon  tea,  and  manv 
changes  of  plans  are  gone  through  again,  before 
that  little  social  affair  is  finally  un  fait  accompli. 
Her  Majesty,  and  the  princes  and  princesses  who 

192 


R.  Y.  S.  CLUBHOUSE 
West  Cowes,  Isle  of  Wight 


OSBORNE  HOUSE 
The  Isle  of  Wight,  home  of  Queen  Victoria 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

may  accompany  her,  always  have  tea  alone  with 
the  Empress,  while  the  ladies-in-waiting  and 
other  lesser  visiting  mortals  drink  tea  with  us. 

Wednesday  evening.  Instead  of  keeping  this 
letter  to  finish  until  after  the  naval  review,  I  think 
it  will  give  you  more  pleasure  if  I  send  what  is 
written  tonight.  The  Queen's  private  messenger 
carries  the  royal  despatches,  and  also  takes  our 
letters  twice  a  day  to  the  mainland  (Southamp- 
ton), so  you  will  get  this  some  time  before  even- 
ing, I  hope. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  24, 1886. 
At  eleven  o'clock  M.,  A.,  Mrs.  Vaughan  and 
myself  drove  to  West  Cowes.  There  we  took 
the  steamer  Carisbrooke  for  Ryde,  where  we  were 
joined  by  Colonel  Vaughan,  Mme.  de  Arcos's 
brother,  with  about  twenty  other  people,  prospec- 
tive guests  of  Captain  Fane  of  the  ironclad 
Northampton.  After  waiting  on  the  pier  a  little 
while  and  signaling  to  the  man-of-war,  we  went 
aboard  the  Argus,  a  small  Admiralty  steamer  do- 
ing omnibus  duty,  which  dropped  the  invited 
guests  at  their  respective  ships.  Then  we  were 
transferred  to  rowboats  and  boarded  the  North- 
ampton about  two  o'clock,  finding  in  the  mess- 
room  on  the  main  deck  a  delicious  lunch  laid  out, 

193 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

which  was  done  great  justice  to  by  all,  as  each 
one  of  the  thirty  guests  seemed  ravenous. 

The  lunch  over,  Captain  Fane  and  six  of  his 
officers  took  us  all  over  the  ship,  and  showed  us 
everything  in  detail.  It  was  most  interesting. 
The  crew  numbers  600  men,  and  the  Northamp- 
ton is  a  ship  of  12,000  tons.  The  guns  are  ter- 
rible looking  things,  and  the  noise  between  decks, 
while  firing  salutes,  is  something  dreadful.  A. 
and  several  other  ladies  fired  some  off.  The  guns 
are  so  perfected  now  that  they  can  be  worked  by 
simply  pressing  an  electric  button  some  distance 
off. 

You  have  no  doubt  read  all  about  the  review  in 
the  papers,  so  I  will  not  waste  time  telling  you 
what  you  already  know.  All  I  will  say  is,  that 
it  was  extremely  interesting,  and  when  the  Al- 
berta steamed  through  the  fleet,  we  were  sur- 
prised as  it  passed  close  alongside  to  see  our  Em- 
press sitting  composedly  on  deck  with  the  Queen, 
and  to  recognize  Mme.  de  Arcos,  the  Duke  and 
Mme.  Le  Breton  with  the  royal  suite,  on  the 
Victoria  and  Albert,  which  followed.  We  had 
left  the  rest  of  our  party  in  the  morning  all 
quietly  at  home,  not  expecting  to  go  to  the  review 
at  all, — hence  our  astonishment.  No  sooner  had 
we  started  off,  it  appears,  than  a  royal  invitation 
came  for  all  of  us.  We  were  delighted  to  have 
escaped  it,  and  probably  enjoyed  our  day  on  the 

194 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Northampton  very  much  more  than  we  should 
have  done  amid  the  honors  and  restrictions  of 
the  royal  yacht. 

Tea,  ices,  etc.,  were  served  at  6 :30  p.  m.  be- 
fore starting  home,  and  we  arrived  at  Osborne 
Cottage  only  at  9  p.  m.,  very  tired  and  wet. 
Had  it  only  been  fine  overhead  instead  of  rain- 
ing cats  and  dogs  without  ceasing,  it  would  have 
been  one  of  the  most  delightful  days  I  have  ever 
spent  and  full  of  most  interesting  and  novel  ex- 
periences. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  26, 1886. 

Yesterday  morning  we  were  suddenly  inter- 
rupted by  the  Empress,  who  brought  a  letter  in- 
viting us  all  to  visit  the  Victoria  and  Albert. 
Nothing  loth,  we  three  soon  had  our  things  on 
and  with  the  Empress  crossed  over  to  the  Queen's 
landing  place,  where  the  royal  yacht  Alberta  was 
lying.  While  waiting  for  Mme.  de  Arcos  to  pick 
up  a  few  friends  of  hers  in  Cowes  we  got  into 
the  Queen's  barge,  a  small  steam  launch,  and 
young  Lieutenant  Carr  took  us  for  a  short  cruise 
around  several  vessels  anchored  in  the  bay. 
When  our  entire  party  had  been  rounded  up  we 
were  received  on  board  the  Victoria  and  Albert 
by  a  whole  legion  of  officers  in  uniform,  who 

195 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

showed  us  all  over  the  magnificent  yacht.  She 
is  immense  and  has  a  crew  of  180  men,  which  is 
sufficient  to  give  you  some  idea  of  her  size. 

Queen  Victoria's  bedroom  and  sitting-rooms 
are  exactly  like  those  of  a  small  country  house, 
decorated  in  white  and  gold,  and  though  simply 
furnished,  contain  everything  one  could  possibly 
want  in  one's  home.  The  cabins  of  the  princes 
and  princesses  are  smaller,  but  roomy  and  pretty, 
and  the  suite,  too,  is  comfortably  provided  for, 
as  are  also  the  servants.  These  latter,  I  think, 
are  almost  better  off  than  the  officers,  for  though 
lodged  below  the  main  deck,  they  have  plenty  of 
light,  air  and  space.  The  engine  room  is  simply 
a  picture,  so  beautifully  kept,  all  as  bright  as  sil- 
ver and  no  smell  whatever,  and  the  kitchen  with 
its  huge  fires  and  the  many  white-capped  chefs 
superintending  the  roasting  of  large  joints  for 
the  crew,  would  make  one  quite  forget  one  was 
anywhere  but  in  an  ordinary  town  kitchen. 

I  wish  the  Queen  would  offer  us  the  Victoria 
and  Albert  for  a  cruise  around  the  island,  such 
as  Mme.  de  Arcos  and  Colonel  Vaughan  made 
last  year  with  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  small 
steam  pinnace  has  been  put  at  the  Empress's  dis- 
posal for  our  entire  visit  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  but 
that  trip  is  so  long  and  time  is  flying. 

M.  and  A.  have  been  in  suspense  all  week,  for 
according  to  etiquette  the  Empress  could  not 

196 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

present  them  to  the  Queen  till  the  latter  expressly 
asked  for  them,  which  she  only  did  this  afternoon. 
The  Queen,  Princess  Beatrice  and  Prince  Henry 
came  to  afternoon  tea  at  4:30.  They  joined  the 
Empress  in  the  little  drawing-room  and  the  rest 
of  us,  as  usual  on  these  occasions,  entertained  the 
Queen's  lady-in-waiting  in  the  dining-room.  A 
few  minutes  before  Her  Majesty's  departure  the 
girls  were  hastily  summoned,  and  went  to  make 
their  courtesies  and  kiss  her  hand.  Literally  in 
two  minutes  they  were  back,  having  found  Her 
Majesty  very  simple,  gracious  and  kind. 

The  contrast  of  her  small  stature  and  great 
dignity  surprised  them  very  much.  It  seems 
strange  that  a  woman  of  her  build,  verging  on 
extreme  old  age,  bereft  of  many  former  physical 
attractions  and  unbecomingly  dressed,  should 
have  such  a  dignified  bearing,  and  be  able  to  im- 
press everyone  who  comes  in  contact  with  her  by 
her  queenly  personality  and  charm.  Her  de- 
lightfully modulated  voice  and  sweet,  genuine 
smile,  have,  I  think,  much  to  do  with  it;  and  her 
strong  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  make 
themselves  felt  in  spite  of  the  somewhat  plain 
exterior.  The  Queen's  memory  for  names  and 
faces  is  something  marvelous.  Like  the  Empress 
she  also  takes  a  great  though  impersonal  interest 
in  people,  whom  she  has  never  seen,  and  prob- 
ably never  will  see;  makes  inquiries  into  inci- 

197 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

dents  of  their  lives;  and,  years  after,  surprises 
her  hearers  by  her  remembrance  of  the  details 
which  have  been  given  her. 

So  far  the  Empress  has  only  dined  once  with 
her  hostess,  as  the  Queen  is  busily  occupied  just 
now  with  a  change  of  ministers.  The  Empress 
looked  lovely  the  evening  she  went  to  the  castle. 
I  do  not  wonder  people  raved  about  her  when 
she  was  younger,  for  she  is  still  so  charming  and 
withal  so  majestic. 

And  now  I  am  going  to  answer  all  your  nu- 
merous questions  about  the  castle  and  Cowes. 
First  of  all,  I  have  looked  about  everywhere  and 
cannot  see  your  old  house,  Ivy  Cottage,  nor  do  I 
know  where  Lord  Henry  Seymour's  place  was, 
unless  it  could  have  been  Norris  Castle,  just 
across  the  water  adjoining  Osborne.  It  is  an 
old  thirteenth-century  chateau-fort,  with  lovely 
grounds,  and  stately  peacocks  strutting  about 
and  perching  on  every  available  piece  of  stone- 
work, while  showing  off  their  gorgeous  tails  and 
uttering  ear-splitting  screeches.  The  place  has 
now  been  bought  by  the  Duke  of  Bedford  and 
made  a  present  to  his  wife.  The  Empress  was 
telling  us  the  other  day  during  our  walk  in  Nor- 
ris Castle  grounds  that  the  Queen,  who  is  so  fond 
of  Osborne  Castle,  spent  a  good  part  of  her  girl- 
hood in  the  vicinity.  After  her  father's  death, 
the  Princess  Victoria  and  the  Duchess  of  Kent, 

198 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

it  appears,  lived  here  in  this  very  Norris  Castle 
and  the  details  of  her  life  as  they  came  direct 
from  her  own  lips  to  the  Empress  and  repeated 
to  us,  were  most  interesting. 

H.  I.  M.  told  us  a  great  deal  about  the  Queen's 
young  days  and  of  the  help  which  Leopold  I  of 
Belgium,  her  maternal  uncle,  had  given  her  in 
those  times  of  quasi-poverty.  Without  him  her 
mother  could  not  have  afforded  the  many  pro- 
fessors and  masters  called  in  to  give  the  young 
Victoria  the  thorough  education  which  helped  so 
materially  to  make  her  in  after  days  a  good  and 
useful  queen.  In  the  gardens  we  saw  a  small 
pavilion,  where  the  little  Princess  took  most  of 
her  lessons  in  fine  weather. 

Her  Majesty's  early  training  made  her  thrifty, 
but,  in  spite  of  her  saving,  she  did  not  accumu- 
late the  large  fortune  which  most  people  at- 
tribute to  her,  as  there  have  always  been  many 
private  outlets  for  her  wealth.  She  herself  said, 
that  she  had  been  gradually  paying  off  the  enor- 
mous debts  left  by  her  father,  and  not  until  1880 
had  she  finally  succeeded.  Princess  Beatrice, 
she  said,  had  long  before  (as  a  measure  of  pre- 
caution) been  provided  for,  because  should  she 
marry  after  the  Queen's  death,  she  could  not 
obtain  the  marriage  portion  granted  to  the 
daughter  of  a  king,  but  not  granted  to  the  sister 
of  a  king,  as  she  would  then  be. 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

These  things  seem  to  me  to  reveal  the  charac- 
ter of  Queen  Victoria,  always  a  strong,  vigorous, 
earnest  woman,  who  took  her  life's  responsibili- 
ties seriously  and  strenuously,  and  who  proved 
herself  a  true  and  loyal  friend  to  those  who  had 
the  honor  of  close  intimacy. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 

Monday,  July  26,  1886. 
Today  we  were  just  going  out  for  a  walk  with 
the  Empress  on  our  way  to  the  baths,  when  on 
passing  the  pier  where  the  Alberta  is  moored,  we 
saw  that  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  re- 
ception of  some  one.  The  officers  were  en 
grande  tenue.  We  passed  by,  not  thinking  the 
gala  clothes  were  for  us.  When  we  were  almost 
out  of  sight  the  captain  came  running  after  us 
to  say  he  had  received  orders  from  the  castle, 
and  the  steam  launch  was  waiting  the  other  side 
of  the  Alberta  to  convey  us  to  the  turret  ship, 
Colossus,  the  great  feature  of  the  review  the 
other  day.  It  was  then  12:15  and  the  whole 
crew  had  been  since  11:30  on  tiptoe  in  expecta- 
tion of  the  Empress's  visit  on  board  the  man-of- 
war,  so  we  lost  no  time  in  starting  off,  and  soon 
came  alongside.  The  crew  was  drawn  up  on  the 
main  deck  as  was  also  a  detachment  of  marines, 
and  as  soon  as  the  captain  handed  the  Empress 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

up  from  the  gangway  to  the  deck,  they  presented 
arms,  the  bugle  sounded,  and  one  of  the  sailors 
piped  a  sort  of  mournful  whistle,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  a  mark  of  great  honor.  We  were 
shown  everything.  The  Armstrong  guns  are 
marvelous,  and  to  see  whole  turrets  of  iron  and 
steel  with  monstrous  guns  turning  around  and 
moving  to  the  requisite  position,  by  just  the 
slightest  pressure  on  a  small  spring,  makes  one 
shudder  to  think  how  the  mind  of  man  can  invent, 
perfect,  and  be  focused  on  such  instruments  of 
destruction.  The  whole  battle  can  be  fought, 
the  ship  managed,  and  orders  given  to  the  men 
below,  by  three  officers  placed  in  a  turret  called 
the  conning-tower,  the  walls  of  which  are  six- 
teen inches  thick,  with  ingeniously  arranged  slits 
through  which  the  enemy  can  be  seen.  There 
are  mathematical  instruments  of  every  sort,  a 
whole  battery  of  electric  buttons,  and  speaking 
tubes  which  go  down  to  the  very  depths  of  the 
ship.  The  officer  in  control  can  fire  guns,  give 
his  orders,  slack  or  accelerate  the  speed  of  the 
ship,  without  moving  an  inch  away  from  his  post. 
It  is  simply  astounding! 

We  only  got  home  at  two  o'clock  and  found 
Osborne  Cottage  quite  anxious  at  the  Empress's 
non-appearance,  as  they  knew  nothing  of  our  ex- 
pedition. By  some  mistake,  the  Queen's 
mounted  messenger  bearing  the  letter  of  invita- 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

tion  with  particulars  had  never  reached  the  cot- 
tage till  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  Empress's  servants  were  to  accompany 
those  of  the  Queen's  sight-seeing  at  3  p.  m., 
which  they  did,  and  as  luck  would  have  it  a  num- 
ber of  people  came  to  write  their  names  in  the 
Visitors'  Book  during  their  absence.  A  German 
prince,  Augustus  of  Saxony,  arrived  in  one  of 
the  royal  carriages  to  call,  and  after  him  came 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught,  who 
reached  Cowes  only  today.  It  amused  the  Em- 
press very  much,  as  there  was  no  one  available 
but  the  Due  de  Bassano  to  open  the  door. 

I  must  finish  now  abruptly,  or  I  shall  miss 
the  post,  and  to-morrow  I  shall  be  unable  to 
write,  as  the  Empress  has  accepted  an  invitation 
to  cruise,  and  we  shall  be  away  all  day. 

P.  S.  Yes,  the  ferry  joining  East-  and  West- 
Cowes  still  exists,  as  it  did  in  your  youthful  days. 
We  all  wish  there  was  a  bridge  instead,  as  it  is 
such  a  tiresome,  slow  business  getting  horses  and 
carriages  over  each  time  we  drive  out  from  here. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  28,  1886. 
Now,  I  daresay,  you  would  like  to  hear  a  little 
about  our  yachting  trip  of  yesterday, — but  there 
is  not  much  to  tell  you,  except  that  we  enjoyed 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

the  yacht  itself  very  much,  for  as  we  were  sud- 
denly becalmed  we  never  got  to  Alum  Bay  and 
The  Needles  at  all.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  con- 
tour of  the  island,  and  remained  perfectly  mo- 
tionless for  hours  between  Yarmouth  on  the 
island  and  Lymington  on  the  mainland.  It  was 
a  great  pity,  as  it  is  our  only  chance  for  a  sail  at 
present,  the  Modwena  having  been  lent  to  Sir 
John  and  Lady  Burgoyne  for  the  Empress's  use 
on  that  one  day  only.  The  owner,  a  Mr.  Gret- 
ton,  was  away,  and  had  put  his  yacht  at  their  dis- 
posal with  a  splendid  luncheon  and  every  com- 
fort possible,  besides  a  substantial  tea  at  five 
o'clock.  The  schooner  is  not  so  large  as  I  re- 
member Captain  Thelluson's  Guinevere  to  have 
been.  The  Modwena  is  pretty  fast  and  very 
comfortable,  and  has  just  returned  from  a  long 
cruise  around  Norway  and  Sweden. 

We  landed  at  6 :30  p.  m.,  having  been  taken 
out  each  time  and  brought  back  to  shore  by  the 
Queen's  steam  launch.  It  is  not  true,  as  the 
papers  state,  that  Osborne  Cottage  has  been  of- 
fered us  for  a  month  longer,  but  the  Empress  is 
going  to  stay  on  for  another  week  anyway,  and 
we  shall  most  probably  only  return  to  Farn- 
borough  Saturday  week,  and  shall  therefore  I  am 
glad  to  say  be  here  for  the  regatta. 


203 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  30,  1886. 

There  is  not  very  much  news  just  now,  but 
still  the  time  passes  quickly,  and  on  the  whole, 
in  spite  of  many  annoying  restrictions,  I  shall  be 
very  sorry  when  we  have  to  leave.  I  told  you 
about  our  afternoon  on  board  the  Modwena  on 
Tuesday.  Well,  M.  and  I  have  not  done  any- 
thing very  special  since  then,  but  A.,  who  is  a 
better  sailor  than  her  sister  and  enjoys  the  water, 
went  yesterday  for  a  little  cruise  with  the  Em- 
press and  Mme.  de  Arcos  in  the  steam  pinnace. 
The  party  returned  to  tea  at  five,  bringing  with 
them  the  young  officer  in  command,  Admiral 
Phillimore's  son.  To-day  M.  too,  is  to  venture 
out  on  the  sea.  They  are  going  with  the  Em- 
press for  a  sail  in  the  Duke  of  Connaught's  yacht. 
This  morning  as  we  were  coming  home  from  the 
town,  after  A.'s  sea  bath,  we  met  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Connaught,  and  further  on,  this  side 
of  the  Medina  River,  we  got  a  very  cordial  bow 
from  Princess  Beatrice,  who  with  her  husband 
was  driving  down  to  board  their  tiny  yacht, 
Leander. 

Wednesday  was  quite  a  royalty  day.  At  11 
o'clock  the  Queen  came  to  see  the  Empress, 
bringing  with  her  two  of  her  little  grandchildren, 
the  Connaughts,  and  accompanied  by  Princess 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Beatrice,  who  remained  with  the  Empress  after 
the  Queen's  departure  till  past  one  o'clock,  when 
she,  too,  returned  to  the  castle  through  the  little 
wicket  gate  opposite  my  window.  A  Mrs.  Ev- 
erett lunched  with  us.  In  the  afternoon  the  Em- 
press went  to  return  the  call  of  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Connaught,  who  are  staying  at  Kent 
House,  one  of  the  Queen's  guest  cottages.  The 
Empress  then  drove  to  the  castle,  where  the 
Queen  was  waiting  with  Princess  Beatrice,  to 
take  their  imperial  friend  for  a  drive. 

The  members  of  the  royal  family,  though  so  ex- 
ceedingly domestic  and  affectionate,  have  de- 
veloped— true  also  of  the  people  connected  with 
the  court — a  strange  surface  dread  of  meeting 
the  Queen,  which  is  perfectly  incomprehensible 
to  outsiders.  It  is  quite  genuine  on  the  part  of 
her  children,  and  is  probably  the  result  of  their 
rather  stern  bringing  up.  As  little  things  they 
were  much  loved,  but  also  subjected  to  much 
discipline.  The  efforts  they  now  make  to  vanish 
into  thin  air,  when  the  Queen  comes  upon  them 
unawares,  are  most  ludicrous.  From  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  the  entourage  has  caught  this 
same  spirit,  which  often  leads  to  amusing  inci- 
dents.    Here  is  one  which  happened  yesterday: 

The  girls  and  I  had  been  in  the  afternoon  for 
a  quiet  walk  to  look  at  Whippingham  Church, 
designed  and  built  by  Prince  Albert,  and  where 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Princess  Beatrice  was  married  last  year.  Re- 
turning home,  we  came  suddenly  upon  a  party, 
which  turned  out  to  be  Mme.  de  Arcos  and 
the  Duke,  who  having  met  Prince  Henry  and 
the  Duke  of  Connaught  with  their  aids-de-camp, 
were  walking  leisurely  home  toward  Osborne 
Cottage  with  them.  Naturally,  we  slackened  our 
pace,  when  to  our  dismay  we  saw  looming  in  the 
distance  certain  white  ponies  and  outriders. 
Caught  between  two  fires,  we  paused  a  moment, 
took  in  the  situation,  and  quickly  decided  that 
we  had  just  time  to  scramble  to  safety  before  the 
Queen's  carriage  could  draw  up  at  the  door. 
Seeing  that  the  advance  party  had  already  turned 
into  the  ivy-covered  porch,  we  gave  wings  to  our 
heels  and  bolted  in,  and  came  upon  them  saying 
goodby  to  one  another,  nearly  knocking  them 
over  in  our  mad  haste.  What  followed  was  most 
amusing.  Prince  Henry  and  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught,  seeing  our  breathless  condition  and  hear- 
ing at  the  same  time  horses*  hoofs  quickly  ap- 
proaching, sensed  the  impending  danger  and  left 
their  conversation  unfinished,  having  in  common 
with  us  only  one  idea, — that  of  getting  out  of 
the  Queen's  sight  at  once.  Prince  Henry,  who 
knew  his  way  about  the  cottage,  waited  for  no 
one  and  dashed  off  through  our  small  private 
gate ;  but  the  Duke  of  Connaught,  less  versed  in 
the  topography  of  the  place,  turned  appealingly 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

to  me,  asking  piteously  to  be  shown  some  way 
out.  A  few  seconds  later  I  had  hastily  guided 
him  through  our  hall  and  dining-room  and  out 
by  the  long  French  window,  and  he  was  madly 
careering  down  our  garden,  leaving  the  aids-de- 
camp, Majors  Bigg  and  Edgerton,  to  get  away 
as  best  they  could. 

The  Empress  was  much  amused  at  hearing 
the  story  at  dinner,  and  told  us  she  had  seen 
over  the  garden  hedge,  as  she  drove  by  with  the 
Queen,  the  two  gentlemen  running  away  and 
wondered  what  it  meant.  She  says  she  has  often 
seen  even  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  years  gone 
by,  hiding  behind  bushes  in  the  grounds  of  Os- 
borne Castle,  when  he  thought  his  royal  mother 
was  coming  along. 

Poor  people  or  perfect  strangers  the  Queen 
never  minds  seeing  at  all.  It  is  only  those  whom 
she  knows  something  about,  that  she  does  not 
care  to  encounter,  as  it  would  put  her  in  the 
awkward  position  of  either  being  discourteous 
and  passing  them  by,  or  being  forced  to  talk  to 
them  when  she  feels  disinclined  to  do  so.  Hence 
out  of  deference  to  the  Queen's  feelings  there  is 
a  tacit  understanding  that  one  must  never  be 
seen  on  her  path.  This  has  grown  into  a  stereo- 
typed rule. 

Friday,  July  80.    Went  with  A.  on  foot  to 
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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  baths.  Coming  back,  met  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Connaught  in  Cowes,  and  at  the  ferry 
Sir  John  and  Lady  Burgoyne,  who  invited  the 
girls  and  me  to  take  tea  with  them  on  Sunday. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
July  31,  1886. 

M.  and  A.  enjoyed  their  little  trip  on  board 
the  Prince  of  Wales's  yacht,  lent  to  the  Duke  of 
Connaught  for  that  particular  occasion.  The 
Aline,  you  remember,  was  Captain  Thelluson's 
first  yacht,  which  he  brought  to  Ostend  during 
several  summers,  and  on  which  we  spent  such 
pleasant  days  when  I  was  a  child.  Later  on, 
after  building  the  Guinevere,  he  sold  the  Aline 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  They  had  tea  on  board 
with  the  Duke  and  Duchess,  and  returned  home 
about  7:30. 

The  Empress,  Mme.  de  Arcos  and  the  Duke 
are  expected  for  dinner  at  the  castle  at  9:15. 
The  Duke  looked  unusually  handsome  and  digni- 
fied in  his  court  dress,  the  very  picture  of  an  old 
courtier;  Mme.  de  Arcos,  resplendent  with  dia- 
monds; and  the  Empress  so  distinguee,  her  soft 
gray  hair  so  prettily  dressed,  and  her  whole  per- 
son so  graceful  and  so  wonderfully  young  look- 
ing. Her  youthfulness  was  accentuated  by  her 
simple  black  dress  with  only  a  suggestion  of  jet 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

trimming,  her  short  sleeves  and  low  bodice  show- 
ing to  perfection  her  still  beautiful  arms  and 
shoulders.  The  Queen  has  always  allowed  her 
friend  while  in  mourning  for  her  son,  as  a  great 
exception  to  the  cast-iron  low-neck  rule,  to  wear 
in  its  place  only  an  open  bodice,  and  adopted  the 
same  for  herself.  The  other  evening,  however,  as 
the  Queen  had  lately  resumed  the  regulation  low 
bodice  and  short  sleeves,  the  Empress  in  spite 
of  the  permission  granted  her  did  not  like  again 
to  be  the  only  exception,  so  with  a  great  effort 
she  went  in  full  dress,  and  for  the  first  time  since 
the  Prince  Imperial's  death  in  1879. 

On  returning  from  dining  at  Osborne  the  Em- 
press told  us  some  stories  about  Prince  Henry's 
free  and  easy  ways,  and  how  he  stopped  the 
carillon  one  day,  so  that  his  accidental  unpunc- 
tuality  might  not  be  noticed.  Also,  a  tale  con- 
cerning him  when  unable  once  to  get  back  in 
time  for  dinner.  He  was  out  sailing,  and  being 
becalmed  the  time  slipped  away,  and  he  saw  with 
terror  the  sacred  dinner  hour  approaching.  At 
last,  after  much  maneuvering  and  by  rowing 
his  little  sailboat  part  of  the  way,  he  was  able 
to  reach  land  several  miles  from  Osborne,  and 
secured  some  kind  of  rattle-trap  conveyance  to 
take  him  to  the  castle.  Arrived  at  the  lodge, 
the  vehicle  was  refused  admittance,  and  to  the 
Prince's  despair  he  was  obliged  to  get  out  and 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

show  himself  before  they  would  open  the  gates, 
chafing  the  while  at  the  waste  of  precious  min- 
utes. In  spite  of  his  strenuous  efforts,  when  he 
finally  reached  the  castle  he  found  the  family 
already  seated  at  table.  There  was  no  remedy, 
and  so,  making  the  best  of  a  bad  job,  he  walked 
quietly  into  the  dining-room,  just  as  he  was  in 
his  rough  yachting  clothes,  and  made  his  apol- 
ogies to  his  royal  mother-in-law  so  simply,  and 
was  so  bright  about  it,  that  he  was  able  to  carry 
off  what  would  have  been  an  absolutely  unpar- 
donable offense  in  another.  The  Queen  seems 
very  fond  of  him. 

The  Empress  told  us  also  about  Mme.  de  Arcos 
fainting  that  night  at  the  Queen's  table.  Her 
Majesty,  in  great  distress,  and  attributing  it  of 
course  to  her  bugbear,  the  heat,  turned  to  the 
Princess  and  said,  "You  see,  Beatrice,  you  will 
keep  the  rooms  so  warm!"  So,  though  a  chilly 
wind  was  already  blowing  in  on  Mme.  de  Arcos's 
back,  more  windows  had  to  be  opened. 

During  yesterday's  yachting  expedition  Mme. 
Le  Breton,  the  Duke  and  I  went  for  a  drive. 
The  road  they  chose  being  blocked,  we  drove 
straight  on  and  presently  came  in  sight  of  the 
town  of  Ryde,  so  I  immediately  expressed  the 
wish  to  go  and  call  on  the  Alexanders.  Mrs. 
Alexander  had  written  to  me  only  the  other  day, 
asking  if  I  could  come  over  some  day  to  lunch 

210 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

or  dinner,  and  make  their  acquaintance.  As  the 
Empress  was  dining  out  at  the  castle,  I  thought 
I  could  easily  arrange  my  temporary  absence 
through  Mme.  Le  Breton.  Unfortunately  I 
found  the  family  all  away  for  the  day.  A  pity 
to  have  missed  such  an  excellent  opportunity,  as 
another  may  not  present  itself.  We  never  know 
here  from  one  hour  to  another,  what  the  arrange- 
ments are  going  to  be,  or  whether  or  no  we  shall 
be  free,  so  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  arrange  a 
private  expedition.  Yesterday,  while  we  were 
all  out  walking,  Mr.  Gladstone  called  and  wrote 
his  name  in  the  Visitors'  Book.  I  should  like  to 
have  seen  the  G.  O.  M.  He  had  been  to  the 
castle  and  had  a  long  interview  with  the  Queen, 
who,  the  Empress  told  us,  looked  much  relieved 
at  dinner  time,  and  brightened  up  noticeably  in 
the  evening,  having,  as  the  Empress  expressed 
it,  adjusted  a  disagreeable  matter.  Gladstone,  it 
appears,  expects  though  to  get  into  office  again, 
for  he  told  some  of  the  gentlemen  at  the  castle 
that  he  hoped  to  see  them  again  in  a  few  months. 
Let  us  hope  he  won't. 

Saturday,  July  31.  Today  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  family  are  to  arrive  for  the  regatta 
week.  Tout  ce  qui  est  elegant  in  Cowes  will  be 
on  the  Green  at  7  p.  m.  to  see  H.  M.  S.  Osborne 
come  in.    All  the  yachts  and  steamers  are  dressed 

211 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

awaiting  the  royal  arrival.  We  heard  the  cannon 
firing  a  salute  on  the  arrival  of  the  yacht,  and 
later  saw  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  land- 
ing in  the  steam  launch. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 

Sunday,  August  1,  1886. 

We  witnessed  the  actual  arrival  from  a  dis- 
tance only,  as  we  were  obliged  to  wait  about  in- 
doors with  the  Empress,  who  was  expecting  a 
visit  from  Sir  William  Jenner,  especially  sent 
to  see  her  professionally  by  the  Queen.  We  had 
not  time  to  get  down  to  the  green  by  seven 
o'clock.  This  was  a  pity,  for  though  we  belong 
to  the  royal  cottage,  owing  to  etiquette,  we  see 
comparatively  little  of  the  royal  visitors,  and  we 
should  like  at  least  not  to  be  less  au  fait  than  the 
public  at  large. 

We  had  tea  at  Lady  Burgoyne's,  where  we 
met  numbers  of  interesting  people,  among  others 
Miss  Law,  Mrs.  Grant,  Mrs.  Foster,  Lady  Sta- 
pleton,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rolls. 

P.  S.  The  mignonette  I  inclose  is  some  I  took 
with  the  Empress's  permission,  from  a  huge  bas- 
ketful sent  in  yesterday  by  Princess  Beatrice  to 
her  imperial  friend,  for  whom  I  arranged  it. 

Monday,    August    2.     Admiral    Woodhouse 
212 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

lunched  here.  We  met  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Bedford  coming  to  call.  A.  and  I  went  for  a 
long  walk  with  the  Empress  in  the  evening  from 
5 :30  to  8 :30  in  Osborne  grounds,  as  usual  along 
the  sea-wall  and  sands,  where  we  again  picked 
up  some  lovely  delicate  shells.  The  Empress 
gave  me  all  she  collected,  and  I  shall  keep  them 
carefully  as  souvenirs  of  the  Queen's  seashore  and 
of  the  Empress  who  picked  them  up  for  me. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  4,  1886. 

I  have  only  sent  you  postal  cards  the  last  few 
days,  but  there  are  a  few  minutes  of  leisure  now, 
while  the  girls  are  trying  on  a  number  of  very 
pretty  yachting  dresses  their  aunt  is  having  made 
for  them  at  Redfern's  (the  original  Redfern, 
who  started  in  a  modest  little  shop  here  in  East 
Cowes). 

All  the  girls'  summer  hats  were  trimmed  by 
the  imperial  aunt's  fingers.  This  the  nieces  did 
not  at  all  approve  of,  for  although  trimmed  with 
much  taste,  it  was  absolutely  regardless  of  the 
prevailing  fashion.  Prettily  made  bows  and  nice 
fresh  flowers  could  hardly  make  up  in  their  eyes 
for  this  failing,  and  I  quite  sympathized  with 
them.  But  they  could  not  refuse  to  wear  them, 
nevertheless,  and  it  was  always  a  struggle  of 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

politeness  to  enjoy  and  be  unconscious  about 
these  home-made  creations,  so  little  in  keeping 
with  the  many  stylish  Redfern  gowns  provided 
for  them.  One  evening  about  this  time  the  Em- 
press trimmed  a  garden  hat  for  me. 

The  Empress  and  party  were  invited  through 
Lady  Burgoyne  for  a  little  cruise  on  the  steam 
yacht  Santa  Maria,  belonging  to  friends  of  hers, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Rolls.  Partly  on  account 
of  not  caring  for  yachting,  and  partly  because 
she  wanted  to  keep  herself  disengaged  for  the 
Queen  that  afternoon,  the  Empress  declined  for 
herself  but  accepted  for  us.  We  joined  Lady 
Burgoyne  and  the  other  guests,  about  eighteen 
in  all,  at  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Club,  and 
then  started  off  in  a  steam  launch  for  the  Santa 
Maria,  which  was  moored  some  distance  out. 
After  being  shown  over  everything,  we  steamed 
off  in  the  direction  of  Ryde  to  see  how  the  eight 
racing  yachts  were  getting  on.  We  soon  over- 
hauled them,  and  having  had  a  good  look  at 
them  went  down  to  luncheon,  for  which  we  were 
more  than  ready. 

When  we  got  to  the  furthest  extremity  of  the 
island,  and  had  passed  the  forts  guarding  the 
entrance  of  the  channel,  we  turned  back,  going 
full  speed  past  Cowes  again,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  were  down  at  The  Needles,  which  looked 
very  picturesque.     We  had  beautiful  weather  all 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

day,  and  were  home  about  6:30,  just  in  time  to 
see  the  winning  yacht  come  in,  and  hear  the  can- 
non announcing  the  victory. 

We  found  that  the  Empress  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  had  been  for  a  cruise  with  the  Queen,  the 
Battenbergs  and  Connaughts,  in  the  Victoria 
and  Albert,  and  Mme.  de  Arcos  and  the  Empress 
dined  out  with  Her  Majesty.  To-morrow  the 
Empress,  her  two  nieces  and  Mme.  de  Arcos  are 
invited  aboard  the  Osborne  as  guests  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  to  go  around  the  island.  Mme. 
Le  Breton,  the  Due  de  Bassano,  and  I  are  not 
included  in  the  party,  and  I  think,  if  possible, 
of  accepting  Mrs.  Alexander's  invitation  to 
lunch. 

From  a  letter : 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  6,  1886. 
The  card  I  sent  you  this  morning  will  tell  you 
that  I  enjoyed  my  visit  to  Ryde  very  much  yes- 
terday, and  now  that  I  have  some  few  minutes 
to  spare  while  M.  and  her  sister  are  writing  to 
their  uncle,  a  few  further  details  may  give  you 
pleasure. 

Well,  you  know  already  that  the  Empress,  the 
girls  and  Mme.  de  Arcos,  went  around  the  island 
on  the  royal  yacht  Osborne,  and  that  they,  with 
about  fifty  other  guests,  met  the  Prince  and 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Princess  of  Wales  and  their  three  daughters,  also 
Princess  Louise,  Marchioness  of  Lome,  Prince 
Henry  of  Battenberg  and  the  Prince  of  Hesse. 
The  girls  do  not  seem  to  have  enjoyed  them- 
selves very  wildly;  they  spent  their  time  princi- 
pally with  the  little  Princesses — Victoria,  Maud 
and  Louise, — who  they  say  are  painfully  shy. 
It  seems  that  their  conversation  concerned  itself 
particularly  with  cameras,  photographs  and  bi- 
cycles, which  seem  to  be  their  main  interest  in  life 
at  present,  and  they  showed  M.  and  A.  con  amove 
the  many  photographs  of  celebrities  and  actresses 
hanging  in  little  collapsible  wire  frames  over 
the  berths  in  their  cabins.  But  still  it  was  inter- 
esting for  these  Spanish  girls  to  be  in  such  un- 
usual surroundings.  The  yachting  party  in- 
cluded also  the  Marquesa  de  Santurce  and  her 
two  daughters,  and  the  Muriettas.  They  re- 
turned home  about  7  P.  m. 

But  now  about  myself,  who,  with  Mme.  Le 
Breton  and  the  Due  de  Bassano,  were  left  out  of 
the  cruise.  I  finally  succeeded  in  lunching  with 
Mrs.  Alexander.  During  my  visit  she  told  me 
an  interesting  anecdote  and  an  appropriate  one 
to  my  stay  at  Osborne  Cottage.  When  she  was 
still  a  baby,  a  carriage  broke  down  one  night 
near  her  father's  home  in  the  country.  All  pos- 
sible assistance  and  hospitality  were  given  to  the 
stranded  travelers,  who  turned  out  to  be  the 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Duchess  of  Kent  and  the  infant  Victoria.  I  left 
Ryde  on  the  7 :30  boat  and  was  back  here  in  time 
for  dinner  at  8:30,  though  we  were  somewhat 
delayed  by  the  many  yachts  around  the  landing. 

During  dinner,  after  her  return  from  the  trip 
on  the  Osborne,  the  Empress  gave  us  a  full  ac- 
count of  the  day  and  her  reflections  concerning 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  She  says  he  is  a  very  good 
fellow  in  many  ways,  bon  camarade,  naturally 
good-hearted,  and  has  shown  himself  on  many 
occasions  most  generous  and  courageous,  but 
though  he  knows  better  he  is  often  lacking  in 
proper  courtesy. 

After  dinner  the  whole  of  our  party  went 
down  to  the  seashore,  where  we  saw  the  fireworks 
over  at  West  Cowes  and  from  the  warship 
Northampton,  and  the  royal  yacht  Osborne.  All 
the  ships  were  beautifully  illuminated  and  it  was 
a  very  pretty  sight,  with  hundreds  of  lights  re- 
flected in  the  water.  We  walked  home  and  did 
not  reach  the  house  till  nearly  midnight;  very 
tired  with  our  day.  I  am  equally  so  again  now, 
Friday  night  at  11:45,  and  can  just  scribble  this 
that  it  may  go  off  early  by  the  Queen's  messenger 
and  reach  you  tomorrow,  Saturday  evening. 

Friday,  August  6.  The  King  of  Portugal  ar- 
rived on  a  visit  to  the  Queen.  He  crossed  from 
Southampton  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert.    Paid 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

a  long  visit  to  the  Empress.  After  Redfern,  and 
bathing  in  the  morning,  we  went  to  call  on  Lady 
Burgoyne  and  the  Marquesa  de  Santurce.  Mr. 
Ward  and  M.  de  Pourtales,  of  the  French  em- 
bassy, were  introduced  to  us,  and  also  the  two 
Murietta  girls.  In  the  late  afternoon  we  went 
down  to  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Club  gar- 
dens, and  sat  there  a  little  while.  Saw  the  Mu- 
rietta party  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  arriving  in 
the  launch  at  the  club  steps. 

Saturday,  August  7.  All  went  out  at  ten  to 
bathe  and  afterward  to  see  the  King  of  Portugal 
start  in  the  Alberta.  Coming  home  met  Maud 
and  Beatrice  W.,  who  called  on  me  in  the  after- 
noon. After  tea,  the  Empress,  the  girls,  Mme. 
de  Arcos  and  I  went  out  in  the  Queen's  largest 
steam  launch.  We  started  from  Trinity  Pier 
and  went  up  the  river  Medina  to  Newport 
and  back,  out  in  the  bay  past  the  Royal  Yacht 
Squadron  Club  and  twice  around  most  of  the 
pretty  yachts.  Saw  Prince  Henry  on  \he 
Leander  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught  in  the  Al- 
berta's steam  launch.  Reached  shore  at  the  same 
time  as  they  did. 

While  out  on  the  water  the  Empress  was 
speaking  of  the  probable  marriage  between 
Princess  May  and  Prince  Victor,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  the  slight  jealousy 
that  exists  between  the  Duke  of  Teck  and  the 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Battenbergs.  She  also  quoted  the  Queen  rela- 
tive to  the  Duke  of  Albany  and  his  delicate 
health,  he  having  died  two  years  previously. 

Sunday,  August  8.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
to  Egypt  House  to  a  reception  and  tea.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ward  were  the  hosts.  Among  the 
guests  were  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught, 
the  Marquesa  de  Santurce  and  her  daughters, 
Lieutenant  Carr,  Comte  de  Montalembert,  Cap- 
tain Hamilton,  Miss  Stoner  and  her  brother,  Miss 
Agar  Ellis,  and  many  others  we  knew.  They 
danced  after  we  left  at  6 :30. 

From  a  letter: 

Santa  Maria,  English  Channel, 

August  9,  1886. 
I  had  not  time  to  write  before  starting,  but  I 
am  sure  you  will  like  to  have  a  few  lines  from 
aboard  the  yacht  on  which  we  are  passing  the 
afternoon.  At  a  quarter  to  ten  we  arrived  at  the 
Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Club,  where  we  were 
met  by  the  party  going  with  us  to  cruise  in  the 
Santa  Maria,  moored  close  to  H.  M.  S.  Osborne. 
You  will  probably  read  in  the  newspapers  to- 
morrow all  about  the  festive  day  at  Cowes,  and 
will  see  that  the  yachts  went  in  procession  a  good 
way  out  to  sea,  the  Prince  of  Wales  leading  the 
line  of  sailing  yachts  in  the  Aline,  and  we  leading 

219 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  eight  steam  yachts.  Lady  Brassey's  Sun- 
beam, about  which  she  wrote  such  an  interesting 
book,  was  the  last  in  the  procession  of  sailing 
vessels.  She  passed  quite  close  to  us,  when  we 
were  getting  into  line,  so  we  had  a  good  view  of 
her.  Just  finished  an  excellent  lunch,  served  on 
deck.  It  is  most  interesting  to  watch  the  run- 
ning up  of  the  signals.  The  Prince  of  Wales  is 
constantly  signaling  messages  over  to  us,  to  pass 
along  to  the  other  yachts.  We  are  having  a  most 
enjoyable  time,  but  I  find  it  difficult  to  write 
much,  as  some  one  is  constantly  coming  in  and 
out  of  the  deck  house  now.  So,  I  must  say 
goodby  for  the  present. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  9,  1886. 
Later.  We  reached  the  harbor  at  7:15  p.  m., 
being  the  first  of  the  yachts  to  get  in,  and  were 
home  here  at  eight,  just  in  time  to  say  good  eve- 
ning to  the  Empress  before  she  went  to  dress 
for  her  dinner  at  the  castle.  Her  nieces  have 
kept  all  the  news  of  their  interesting  day  to  tell 
her  tomorrow. 

I  will  give  you  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  peo- 
ple who  were  on  board,  as  you  are  sure  to  know 
something  about  some  of  them.  First  there  were 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rolls,  owners  of  the  Santa  Maria, 

220 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

and  their  three  boys  and  one  girl ;  Lord  Ormond, 
Vice-Commodore  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron; 
Sir  John  and  Lady  Burgoyne ;  Mrs.  Foster ;  Mr. 
Grant,  secretary  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron 
Club;  Mrs.  and  Miss  Grant;  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  son 
of  Lord  Otho;  Lady  William  Lenox;  Lady  Bar- 
bara Stapleton  and  Miss  Stapleton.  When  you 
receive  this  the  Santa  Maria  will  be  well  on  her 
way  to  Oban  in  Scotland.  The  Rolls  are  going 
to  spend  the  winter  cruising  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, visiting  all  the  countries  in  the  South. 
How  delightful  for  them! 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  11,  1886. 

There  are  various  plans  afloat  for  this  after- 
noon's amusement.  While  they  are  waiting 
around  to  see  if  the  weather  means  to  clear,  I 
have  slipped  off  to  my  room  to  write  you  a  few 
lines.  You  will  not  have  many  more  letters  from 
here,  as  we  shall  surely  leave  next  Saturday 
morning,  and  which  we  shall  all  regret  for  many 
reasons.  During  the  latter  part  of  our  stay  we 
have  had  many  delightful  yachting  expeditions, 
which  make  up  in  some  degree  for  the  restric- 
tions. 

Yesterday  morning  we  stayed  prosaically  at 
home,  but  in  the  afternoon  we  had  a  most  amus- 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ing  time.  A  nephew  of  the  Empress,  Count 
Joseph  Primoli,  whose  mother  was  granddaugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Bonaparte  (Napoleon  I's  brother) , 
came  on  a  few  days'  stay  and  we  took  him  after 
lunch  to  see  West  Cowes.  He  is  very  clever, 
is  quite  a  poet  with  the  most  wonderful  fund  of 
spirits,  and  made  us  laugh  so  much  that  we  were 
quite  ashamed  of  ourselves.  He  would  insist 
upon  our  all  having  our  photographs  taken  by 
a  traveling  tintype  man,  and  we  had  the  greatest 
fun  possible  on  the  green,  a  public  walk  near  the 
sea.  Fortunately  there  were  no  society  people 
about,  that  early  hour  of  the  afternoon,  or  we 
would  have  shocked  them  terribly, — and  would 
probably  have  been  reported  to  and  had  a  repri- 
mand from  the  Empress — but  of  excursionists 
there  was  no  lack,  and  they  gathered  around  and 
were  as  much  diverted  as  we.  We  tried  to  make 
Count  Primoli  stop  his  flow  of  nonsense,  but  it 
was  no  use.  He  thoroughly  enjoyed  seeing  us 
doubled  up  with  laughter,  and  apparently  did  not 
mind  a  bit  whether  we  got  into  a  scrape  later  or 
not. 

We  were  just  home  in  time  for  afternoon  tea, 
and  later  went  for  a  long  drive  to  Ryde  and 
back.  As  the  Empress  and  the  Due  de  Bassano 
had  the  victoria,  and  we  all  went  with  Mme. 
de  Arcos  in  the  open  wagonette,  our  party  had 
much  the  same  fun  as  before.    We  laughed  the 

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EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

whole  way  there  and  back.  Count  Primoli, 
much  to  our  regret,  left  for  London  early  this 
morning,  after  breakfasting  with  us  at  8 :30.  He 
quite  enlivens  the  house,  and  goes  on  with  his 
absurdities  quite  unabashed  by  the  presence  of 
his  imperial  aunt. 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  11,  1886. 

11  p.  m.  Before  going  to  bed  I  must  just  fin- 
ish this  letter,  of  which  I  sent  you  the  first  sheet 
early  this  morning,  not  having  had  time  to  com- 
plete the  whole.  We  had  a  most  enjoyable  little 
cruise  in  the  Queen's  largest  launch  this  after- 
noon. The  party  consisted  of  seven,  the  Em- 
press, M.  and  A.,  Mme.  Le  Breton,  Lady  Bur- 
goyne,  the  Due  de  Bassano  and  myself.  We 
went  across  the  Solent,  and  up  to  Southampton 
Water  and  the  Humble  River,  nearly  as  far  as 
the  point  of  the  same  name,  getting  home  about 
8 :30  p.  m.  In  the  meantime  the  Due  d'Aumale 
and  Princess  Clementine  had  arrived  on  the  Ah 
berta  for  a  short  visit  to  the  Queen.  Of  course 
during  their  stay  the  Empress  will  not  dine  with 
the  Queen  as  the  meeting  would  be  awkward  for 
them  all.     Au  revoir  for  the  present. 

Their  arrival  reminds  me  of  the  following: 
After  the  passing  of  the  law  which  expelled 

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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

French  princes  last  June  from  French  soil,  some 
of  the  Orleans  family  asked  permission  to  visit 
the  Queen  at  Windsor,  and  the  Empress,  always 
very  delicate  in  her  feeling  for  others,  immedi- 
ately wrote  to  put  off  her  own  expected  visit  at 
that  same  date,  thinking  it  might  be  awkward 
for  both  the  Queen  and  them.  Her  Majesty  an- 
swered through  Princess  Beatrice, — "No,  by  no 
means  put  off  the  visit.  If  any  one  postpones  it, 
it  had  better  be  they.  The  Orleanists  are  my 
relations,  but  the  Empress  is  my  friend  and  that 
is  much  more  sacred  to  me." 

From  a  letter: 

Osborne  Cottage, 
August  12,  1886. 

We  leave  here  on  Saturday  without  fail,  so  I 
shall  just  be  bidding  adieu  to  the  sea  as  you  reach 
it  at  Brighton.  The  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales,  and  family,  left  yesterday  on  the  Osborne 
after  having  been  here  to  call  and  take  leave  of 
the  Empress.  They  put  the  Aline  at  her  dis- 
posal for  the  few  days  which  remain.  Unfor- 
tunately, I  do  not  think  it  will  be  much  use  to 
us,  as  there  are  yachting  engagements  made  al- 
ready for  every  remaining  day.  Pity  we  did  not 
get  the  boat  sooner,  as  the  Empress  does  so  en- 
joy a  sail;  it  puts  new  life  into  her.  The  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Connaught  also  leave  here  to-day, 

224 


London  Stereoscopic  Co. 

SURGEON-MAJOR  FREDERICK  B.  SCOTT 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

and  as  I  see  one  of  the  royal  carriages  at  the 
door  in  front  of  my  window,  I  suppose  they  are 
taking  their  leave  now,  so  I  do  not  know  when 
we  shall  get  our  luncheon.  It  is  already  a  quar- 
ter to  two  and  we  are  all  famished.  From  the 
fourteenth  to  the  seventeenth,  on  which  latter 
date  the  Queen  starts  for  Edinburgh,  she  will 
have  Osborne  Castle  all  to  herself,  for  all  the 
other  royalties  will  have  departed  by  then. 

Thursday,  August  12.  We  remained  in  all 
the  morning.  Lady  Ely,  the  Queen's  old  and 
trusted  friend,  made  a  long  call.  She  has  also 
been  a  friend  to  the  Empress  ever  since  the  lat- 
ter's  girlhood  and  the  Empress  expresses  the 
greatest  affection  for  her.  She  is  a  dear  old 
lady;  sweet,  and  dignified  old  age  personified. 

In  the  afternoon  Dr.  Tyler  with  a  party 
of  thirty  came  to  see  the  Empress;  there  were 
Hindoos,  Greeks,  Malays,  etc.  The  Oriental  sal- 
utations and  the  bright,  rich,  varied  costumes 
made  a  very  unusual  sight.  At  5  p.  m.  Mme.  Le 
Breton,  the  girls  and  I  drove  to  the  Parkhurst 
athletic  sports  and  met  Prince  and  Princess 
Henry  of  Battenberg  returning.  Nearly  400 
people  had  lunched  there.  General  Nightingale 
and  Captain  Worral  of  the  93d  Highlanders 
were  among  the  officers  introduced  to  us. 

Friday,  August  13.  Stayed  in  again  all  the 
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EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

morning,  waiting  to  see  if  we  were  expected  to 
go  on  an  expedition  or  not.  All  of  the  party, 
except  us  three  girls,  went  to  call  on  the  Queen. 
In  the  afternoon  we  visited  H.  M.  S.  Northamp- 
ton in  the  Queen's  steam  launch.  The  ship  was 
beautifully  decorated  with  flowers,  flags,  etc.,  just 
like  a  huge  ball-room.  There  were  from  300  to 
400  people  there,  among  others  Lord  Brassey 
and  his  family,  three  admirals,  some  Spanish 
naval  officers  from  a  ship  in  the  harbor,  but 
strange  to  say,  no  royalty  whatever.  We  danced 
and  enjoyed  ourselves  immensely. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 

Saturday,  August  14,  1886. 
I  am  very  glad  I  followed  my  instinct,  bom 
of  my  knowledge  of  the  Empress's  methods,  and 
did  not  stay  up  writing  last  night,  but  packed 
nearly  everything  instead,  for  this  morning  came 
a  hasty  message  to  our  rooms.  We  were  asked 
to  get  up,  to  finish  our  preparations  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  to  take  a  donation  from  the  Em- 
press to  the  little  church  here,  which  is  very  poor, 
and  then  to  meet  her  at  the  Queen's  private  land- 
ing place  punctually  at  10 :45.  So  we  had  hardly 
time,  though  we  hurried.  We  were  not  late,  how- 
ever, and  even  had  a  few  minutes  to  spare  at 

226 


EMPRESS  VISITS  QUEEN  VICTORIA 

Trinity  Pier,  talking  to  Major  Bigg,  Lady  Bur- 
goyne  and  some  gentlemen,  who  had  come  to  see 
us  off.  When  the  Empress's  carriage  arrived, 
we  all  went  aboard  the  Alberta,  whose  officers, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  Victoria  and  Albert,  were 
in  attendance.  We  found  Prince  Henry,  too, 
on  deck,  and  he  remained  talking  to  the  Empress 
till  the  moment  for  starting  had  nearly  come, 
then  bowed  to  her,  said  a  few  words  to  us,  shook 
hands  all  round,  and  went  ashore.  I  regret 
deeply  that  we  were  not  at  Osborne  Cottage  at 
the  general  departure,  as  the  Queen  and  Princess 
Beatrice  and  several  maids  of  honor  came  to  take 
final  leave  of  the  Empress.  After  a  little  con- 
versation between  the  two  Majesties  and  the 
Princess  in  the  drawing-room,  the  Queen  passed 
into  the  hall,  where  she  shook  hands  with  the  Due 
de  Bassano  and  the  ladies,  and  kissed  the  latter, 
herself  handing  them  into  the  carriage.  She 
asked  with  astonishment  where  we  three  were, 
and  expressed  regret  at  our  absence.  The  Em- 
press acknowledged  that  as  only  one  of  her  car- 
riages was  still  at  Osborne,  she  had  sent  us  ahead 
on  foot. 

Major  Bigg  accompanied  us  to  Southampton, 
where  a  special  saloon  carriage  attached  to  the 
main  train  carried  us  rapidly  to  our  destination. 
At  two  o'clock  we  were  home  at  Farnborough, 
finding  it  all  looking  very  pretty,  after  an  ab- 

227 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

sence  of  a  month.  We  were  not  sorry  to  have 
our  luncheon.  The  Empress  and  her  nieces  have 
gone  now  for  a  walk  around  the  grounds,  but  I 
preferred  to  remain  at  home.  Unfortunately, 
the  servants  must  have  missed  their  boat  or  train, 
as  neither  they  nor  the  luggage  have  yet  turned 
up  (6:30  p.  m.)  ,  and  we  shall  not  be  able  to  dress 
for  dinner  to-night  unless  they  make  haste.  It 
is  delightful  to  feel  we  can  go  about  with  more 
freedom  again.  There  are  some  restrictions  here, 
it  is  true,  but  nothing  like  those  involved  by  liv- 
ing under  Queen  Victoria's  roof. 

Sunday,  August  15.  Dr.  Scott  with  Major 
and  Mrs.  Scott  came  to  tea,  and  to  welcome  us 
back  to  Farnborough. 


228 


PART  IV 

LATER  EVENTS   AT  FAENBOROTJGH   HELL 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  17, 1886. 

On  Monday  morning  the  Empress  sent  word 
she  was  going  shopping  in  London,  and  I  was  to 
accompany  her.  We  lunched  at  11:30  and  an 
hour  later  started  from  home,  to  which  we  re- 
turned again  at  7  P.  m.,  having  spent  the  inter- 
vening time  hovering  about  from  silversmiths  to 
glass  and  china  shops,  choosing  different  things 
for  the  dinner  table,  arid  all  this  in  honor  of  vis- 
itors who  arrived  from  France  that  very  evening. 
They  were:  Prince  Joachim  Murat,1  grandson 
of  King  Murat  of  Naples  who  married  Napo- 
leon's sister  Caroline;  Joachim's  daughter, 
Princess  Eugenie  Murat;  his  sister,  Duchesse 
de  Mouchy ; 2  and  M.  Protais,  an  old  artist,  ac- 
companied by  M.  Pietri,  who  was  returning  from 
a  business  trip  to  Paris. 

i  Joachim  Joseph  Napoleon,  Prince  Murat,  born  in  Bordentown, 
N.  J.,  February  21,  1824;  son  of  Lucien,  Prince  of  Naples. 

2  Formerly  Princess  Anna  Murat,  born  in  Bordentown,  N.  J., 
February  3,  1841 ;  married  in  Paris,  1865,  Antoine  de  Noailles,  Due 
de  Mouchy. 

229 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  18,  1886. 

I  have  not  had  time  to  send  my  letter  off  to- 
day, for  directly  after  luncheon  the  Empress 
asked  me  to  write  some  English  letters  for  her, 
so  thanks  to  a  communication  to  a  Parsee  in  Cen- 
tral India  called  Nosherwanjee  Cowasjee,  and 
another  to  a  gentleman  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  I  was  unable  to  get  my  own  correspond- 
ence done. 

Yesterday  Count  Sormani,  an  Italian  senator, 
arrived.  He  is  tall  and  gaunt,  with  a  long 
shaggy  gray  beard,  not  very  lively,  and  makes 
no  great  addition  to  the  party.  We  now  sit 
down  twelve  every  day  to  luncheon  and  dinner, 
and  tomorrow  the  Duquesa  de  Ossuna  arrives, 
so  until  some  one  of  the  party  departs,  the  super- 
stitious ones  will  have  a  hard  time  of  it,  if  they 
notice  the  number. 

Friday,  August  20.  Lieutenant  Carr,  one  of 
the  young  naval  officers  we  saw  a  good  deal  of  at 
Osborne,  arrived  to  make  a  call  and  stayed  to 
lunch,  making  thirteen,  so  A.,  being  the  young- 
est of  the  party,  had  on  account  of  some  foolish 
superstition,  to  lunch  at  a  small  table  alone. 
General  the  Hon.  W.  Fielding  came  to  call  at 
tea  time. 

230 


LATER  EVENTS 

Tuesday,  August  24.  The  girls  went  for  a 
drive  with  Mrs.  Byrne.  Princess  Eugenie  and 
I  took  a  long  walk  together  and  were  joined  by 
Dr.  Scott.  Colonels  Wood  and  Williams  called 
at  tea  time. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  25,  1&86. 

I  cannot  by  any  means  say  it  is  dull  here,  as 
the  house  is  full.  Still  there  does  not  seem  to 
be  much  news  to  write,  as  everyone  more  or  less 
remains  quietly  at  home,  the  girls  are  busy  with 
their  English  and  music,  and  le  monde  does  not 
appear  till  lunch  time,  except  when  Princess  Eu- 
genie comes  out  for  a  walk  with  us  at  twelve 
o'clock,  which  is  nearly  daily  the  case. 

Lunch  is  a  merry  meal,  and  soon  afterward 
we  three  go  off  to  our  petit  salon,  or  the  tent  if 
it  be  fine  weather,  and  we  are  neither  seen  nor 
heard  of  until  tea  time  at  five.  After  this  we 
are  free  to  take  part  in  whatever  is  going  on. 
Some  of  the  twelve  drive,  others  prefer  walking, 
but  we  three  generally  like  tennis  best,  and  are 
usually  joined  by  Princess  Eugenie  Murat  and 
her  father,  or  some  of  the  other  gentlemen.  The 
other  day  when  we  played  it  was  Princess  Eu- 
genie and  A.  against  Prince  Murat  and  myself. 
Yesterday,  besides  our  own  party  of  twelve,  Gen- 

231 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

eral  and  Mrs.  Byrne  came  to  tea  and  also  Dr. 
Scott,  his  brother  the  Major,  and  the  latter's 
wife,  so  we  were  eighteen  in  all, — and  there  was 
plenty  to  do  I  assure  you,  pouring  out  tea  and 
providing  all  kinds  of  delicious  cakes  for  that 
number  of  hungry  and  thirsty  individuals.  To- 
night at  dinner  we  shall  be  a  formidable  party. 
The  poor  Empress  is  quite  tired  out  and  annoyed 
that  her  visitors  should  all  want  to  come  at  the 
same  time.  For  months  past  their  dates  have 
been  conveniently  fixed,  and  now,  what  with  one 
thing  and  another,  and  our  extra  fortnight  on  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  they  have  all  arrived  together — 
and  this  afternoon  three  more  are  coming. 

Princess  Murat 1  is  a  delightful  girl,  over  six 
feet  in  height,  broad  generous  proportions  to 
match,  beautiful  hair  and  skin,  and  a  fine  intel- 
lectual brow.  She  is  a  great  deal  with  us.  We 
have  just  been  in  her  room, — the  two  girls  and 
myself, — where  she  has  been  showing  us  her  jew- 
els, etc.,  which  are  magnificent.  She  owns  some 
splendid  diamonds  and  emeralds,  which  come 
from  her  mother,  who  was  a  Princesse  de  Wa- 
gram. 

i  Eugenie  Louise  Caroline  Zenaide  Murat,  born  in  Paris,  18&5 ; 
married  June  18,  1887,  Paris,  to  Giuseppe  Caracciolo,  Duca  di 
Lavello. 


282 


LATER  EVENTS 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  27,  1886. 

Our  household  keeps  on  increasing  daily.  We 
sat  down  fifteen  to  dinner  last  night — an  Em- 
press, a  Prince,  a  Princess,  two  Duchesses,  two 
Dukes,  and  a  Count — pretty  well  for  one  fam- 
ily dinner  party.  The  Due  de  Mouchy  and  the 
Duquesa  de  Ossuna  arrived  two  days  ago,  and 
the  girls'  uncle,  Don  Antonio  de  Vejarano,  last 
night  at  8 :30  from  Madrid.  He  will  prolong  his 
visit  to  the  very  last  possible  extremity,  but  must 
be  in  Madrid  by  the  fifteenth  of  September. 
This  morning  I  have  retired  into  my  room  to 
write  to  you  and  give  the  girls  absolute  freedom 
with  their  uncle.  After  a  year's  separation  they 
must  have  much  to  talk  over  with  him. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  28,  1886. 
I  have  only  a  very  few  minutes  free,  so  I  must 
hurry.  Since  I  began  this  I  have  had  some  let- 
ters to  write  for  the  Empress,  and  so  the  post 
went  out  with  only  a  card  instead  of  a  long  epis- 
tle. I  hope  the  heat  of  these  last  few  days  has 
not  tried  you  too  much.  Here  even  it  has  been 
very  oppressive. 

Yesterday  the  girls  and  I  went  to  London. 
233 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

r 

We  were  sent  off  to  get  us  out  of  the  way,  for 
besides  our  own  very  large  party  there  were  six 
other  people.  Among  them  the  Duque  de  Alva, 
the  Empress's  nephew,  and  his  wife,  the  de 
Rivieres  and  Mgr.  Goddard,  and  the  latter  I  was 
very  sorry  to  miss.  They  all  came  to  lunch,  and 
as  it  was  really  too  much  of  a  good  thing  to  have 
twenty-one  at  table  besides  ourselves,  the  girls 
benefited  by  it,  to  get  off  on  a  sight-seeing  trip 
to  the  metropolis.  We  visited  the  Tower,  St. 
Paul's,  and  South  Kensington  Museum,  where 
we  lunched.  Then  we  went  to  the  Oratory,  and 
back  to  Waterloo  Station,  taking  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  on  our  way,  where  we  specially  en- 
joyed the  old  cloisters  and  their  adjoining  pic- 
turesque courtyards. 

At  Waterloo  Station  we  met  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Mouchy  and  Princess  Eugenie,  who 
were  returning  from  lunching  with  Lady  Hol- 
land at  Holland  House,  and  we  all  traveled 
homeward  together.  We  did  not  lose  a  minute 
of  that  day,  and  the  girls  enjoyed  all  they  saw 
very  much,  but  we  were  terribly  tired,  and  pleas- 
ant and  bright  though  the  evenings  now  are,  we 
could  hardly  keep  our  eyes  open  till  eleven 
o'clock,  when  the  Empress  retired  and  we  three 
also.  On  leaving  the  room  this  evening  the  Em- 
press made  a  most  wonderful  courtesy,  which 
we  had  never  seen  before,  but  had  heard  about  in 

234 


LATER  EVENTS 

connection  with  Tuileries  days.  It  was  half  a 
bow  and  half  a  courtesy,  full  of  ease,  and  grace- 
ful in  the  extreme,  and  though  addressed  to  the 
whole  room,  had  the  quality  of  seeming  to  take 
in  personally  each  individual. 

The  Due  de  Mouchy  is  a  born  musician,  and 
plays  by  ear  with  very  good  chords  and  harmon- 
ies anything  in  the  operatic  line,  and  almost  every 
other  well-known  air,  and  all  this  without  having 
learnt  one  note  of  music.  Besides  the  Due's 
playing  and  mine,  there  are  all  sorts  of  parties 
de  cartes  going  on,  everybody  being  scattered 
about  in  groups,  doing  what  they  each  like  best. 
No  one  seems  willing  to  leave  Farnborough; 
those  who  came  for  a  few  days  only  are  staying 
on,  and  on! 

The  Duquesa  de  Ossuna  belongs  to  Queen 
Christina's  royal  household  in  Madrid.  She  has 
been  a  great  beauty  and  is  still  young,  elegant 
and  amiable.  If  alone,  we  should  probably  be 
enraptured  with  her,  but  surrounded  as  she  is 
by  such  a  gathering  of  exceptionally  interesting 
people  as  the  others  are,  her  own  charm  pales 
somewhat.  Before  the  Duquesa  arrived,  the 
Empress  told  us,  in  speaking  of  her,  about  the 
origin  of  the  family  name,  Giron,  which  in  Span- 
ish means  rag.  It  came  from  an  ancestor  who 
in  the  melee  of  battle  saved  the  king's  life  and 
gave  him  his  own  horse  to  replace  the  fallen  one. 

235 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

In  the  scuffle  he  accidentally  tore  off  a  piece  of 
the  king's  cloak.  Instead  of  throwing  it  away, 
he  carefully  kept  it.  The  next  day  there  were  a 
hundred  claimants  to  the  honor  of  having  saved 
the  king's  life.  Whereupon,  our  astute  hero 
begged  leave  to  inquire  of  the  king  if  his  cloak 
was  intact,  and  if  not  he  suggested  they  should 
settle  the  conflicting  claims  by  trying  to  find 
the  man  who  possessed  the  missing  piece.  Both 
his  valor  and  quick  mind  were  in  consequence,  I 
understand,  amply  rewarded,  and  honors  show- 
ered upon  him. 

Talking  at  luncheon  one  day  about  the  little 
King  of  Spain,  the  Duquesa  told  us  that  the 
day  of  his  birth  the  Infanta,  his  sister,  asked  what 
the  baby's  name  was  to  be.  When  they  answered 
that  perhaps  it  would  be  Fernando  she  said 
quickly:  "Oh  no,  if  papa  really  sent  him  he 
must  be  named  Alfonso." 

The  Duquesa  told  us,  also,  that  by  good  luck 
it  was  her  turn  the  particular  week  of  his  birth 
to  be  de  service  at  the  palace,  and  as  such  had  by 
law  to  be  a  witness  of  the  royal  child's  arrival, 
so  she  was  the  first  of  his  subjects  to  see  him, 
an  honor  which  she  much  appreciated.  She  told 
us  it  was  a  Spanish  custom,  when  the  royal  in- 
fant was  twenty-four  hours  old,  to  put  him  in  a 
kind  of  silver  basket  warmly  wadded,  which,  car- 
ried out  by  one  of  the  dignitaries  to  some  high 

236 


LATER  EVENTS 

steps  (either  of  the  palace  or  cathedral),  was 
raised  up  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people,  and  the 
covering  lifted  for  a  moment.  She  continued 
with  many  interesting  traits  about  his  peasant 
wet-nurse,  the  fuss  and  ceremony  involved  in 
choosing  her  from  among  so  many  aspirants  to 
the  honor,  and  what  a  great  personage  she  thinks 
herself  now.  We  also  heard  about  her  trous- 
seau and  her  life,  with  its  privileges  and  restric- 
tions in  the  royal  nursery  of  Spain. 

The  Duchesse  de  Mouchy  is  simply  perfect, 
and  so  pretty,  graceful  and  witty, — and  so  young 
looking  though  she  has  a  grown-up  son.  She 
has  quite  won  our  hearts  and  so  too  has  the  Prin- 
cess Eugenie  Murat,  her  niece.  The  trefle 
which  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy  always  wears 
now,  no  matter  what  the  dress  or  the  hour,  was 
one  which  had  been  the  first  gift  of  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  III  to  the  Empress.  She  got  it  be- 
fore they  were  engaged,  at  a  little  lottery  for  the 
guests  of  a  house  party  staying  at  St.  Cloud. 
Louis  Napoleon  was  at  the  time  already  desper- 
ately in  love  with  her,  and  the  Empress  herself 
says  that  with  his  connivance  they  rather  helped 
her  to  win  the  beautiful  prize,  a  handsome  trefoil 
of  emeralds  and  diamonds,  which  she  always  re- 
garded as  her  engagement  gift  and  as  a  kind  of 
mascot.  Invariably  during  her  years  of  sover- 
eignty she  wore  it  somewhere  about  her  clothing, 

237, 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  up  till  June,  1879,  it  never  left  her  person, 
even  at  night.  When  the  news  of  her  son's  death 
reached  her  she  took  off  the  jewel,  put  it  away 
and  later  on  gave  it  to  her  favorite  niece,  with 
the  request  that  she  wear  it  for  her  sake  as  long 
as  she  lived.  This  wish  Mme.  de  Mouchy  was 
carrying  out  when  she  came  to  Farnborough, 
and  the  Empress  herself  pointed  the  trefle  out 
to  me  one  evening,  and  requested  the  Duchess  to 
unfasten  it  and  to  put  it  in  my  hand  for  examina- 
tion while  telling  me  its  history. 

The  men  of  the  party  are  such  thorough  gen- 
tlemen,— all  so  friendly  and  at  ease  together.  I 
must  say  I  prefer  foreign  to  stiff  English  so- 
ciety. 

When  the  Empress  presented  me  the  first  eve- 
ning to  the  Murats  she  did  it  very  nicely.  After 
naming  me,  she  said,  "Joachim,  this  is  the  grand- 
daughter of  Colonel  Macirone  who  served  your 
grandfather  so  faithfully."  This  fact  seemed  to 
strike  him  very  much,  and  may  possibly  have  in- 
fluenced them  in  the  interest  they  took  in  me. 
Nothing  could  have  been  kinder  than  they  were 
the  whole  of  their  stay  in  Farnborough,  and  later 
on  in  Paris,  I  counted  both  father  and  daughter 
among  my  best  friends  there. 

My  maternal  grandfather,  Colonel  Francis 
Macirone,  was  born  in  Manchester  in  1788,  of  an 

238 


LATER  EVENTS 

English  mother  and  Italian  father.  His  mother 
died  in  1800,  and  in  1803  he  was  sent  to  Rome 
with  letters  of  credit  on  Paris,  Genoa  and  Flor- 
ence, at  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  to  live  with  his 
uncle  George,  then  postmaster-general  to  Pius 
VI.  I  now  continue  in  my  grandfather's  own 
words  : 

"Soon  after  the  occupation  of  Naples  by  the 
French  in  1805,  I  was  preparing  to  return  to 
England  and  had  actually  obtained  my  passport, 
when  in  consequence  of  the  noted  decree  of  Ber- 
lin, I  was  constituted  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  de- 
tained as  such  in  that  country  nearly  seven  years 
(on  parole)." 

During  those  years  he  became  acquainted  with 
members  of  the  Neapolitan  court  and  the  royal 
family,  and  in  King  Joachim's  hour  of  need  be- 
came one  of  his  staunch  friends.  Already  he  had 
been  on  an  embassy  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
to  beg  an  asylum  in  his  country  for  the  hunted 
and  dethroned  Joachim  and  his  family,  and  was 
actually  on  his  way  to  England  to  seek  further 
help  from  the  Prince  Regent  of  England,  when 
he  was  arrested  at  the  instigation  of  the  infamous 
Marquis  de  Riviere  at  Marseilles.  After  several 
weeks  in  a  Marseilles  dungeon  and  much  mental 
and  physical  suffering,  he  was  escorted  to  Paris, 
the  Marquis'  secretary  having  first  brutally  an- 

239 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

nounced  to  him  the  assassination  of  the  brave 
King  Murat.1 

Arrived  at  the  capital,  he  was  immediately  re- 
arrested by  Des  Cazes  and  confined  au  secret 
in  the  Conciergerie  and  at  the  Abbaye  prisons. 
All  his  diplomatic  papers  and  valuables,  includ- 
ing a  bill  from  King  Joachim  for  40,000  francs 
on  a  Paris  bank,  his  personal  effects,  arms,  etc., 
were  confiscated,  and  only  his  carriage  was  re- 
turned to  him  later.  Except  for  his  ingenious 
expedient  of  letting  his  faithful  valet  in  Paris 
know  his  whereabouts,  he  might  never  have  got 
out  alive.  His  servant  informed  Sir  Charles 
Stuart,  the  English  ambassador,  of  his  master's 
plight,  and  soon  after  the  Colonel  was  released. 

His  own  account  of  the  part  he  took  in  the 
capitulation  of  Paris  in  1815,  his  hair-breadth 
escapes,  and  his  interviews  with  Murat,  Napo- 
leon, Wellington,  Blucher,  Metternich,  Fouche, 
Talleyrand,  Carnot  and  many  other  celebrities, 
being  all  told  in  a  book  published  by  him  in 
1817,2  are  well  worth  reading  by  all  lovers  of 
history,  and  ought  to  be  especially  interesting 
to  his  descendants.  These  incidents  of  several 
generations  back  made  my  meeting  with  descend- 
ants of  King  Murat  of  additional  interest  to  me. 

iShot  at  Chateau  de  Pizzo  in  Calabria,  October  13,  1815. 
a  "Interesting  Facts  Relating  to  the  Fall  and  Death  of  Joachim 
Murat,  King  of  Naples." 

240 


LATER  EVENTS 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 

Saturday,  August  28,  1886. 
M.  de  Varu,  a  French  military  attache,  lunched 
here.  After  dinner,  when  we  were  sitting  in  the 
drawing-room,  the  Empress  read  us  a  long  inter- 
esting letter  addressed  by  Prince  Alexander  of 
Battenberg  to  the  Queen,  giving  her  the  details 
of  the  shameful  way  he  had  been  treated.  Prince 
Alexander  (the  King  of  Bulgaria)  describes 
very  graphically  in  this  account  how  soldiers  with 
fixed  bayonets  forced  him  at  night  out  of  his  bed- 
room and  down  the  back  stairs.  They  tried  by 
threats  to  make  him  sign  an  abdication,  which 
they  hastily  wrote  out  for  him  in  pencil  on  a  leaf 
torn  out  of  the  Visitors'  Book  in  the  hall.  They 
roughly  took  away  his  uniform  and  gave  him 
peasant's  clothes.  They  were  glad  to  do  any- 
thing that  could  make  him  look  ridiculous  and 
humiliate  him.  Prince  Alexander  wrote  that 
afterward  on  the  Russian  frontier  he  was  left 
alone  locked  in  his  railway  carriage  for  many 
hours  without  any  food,  and  as  a  refinement  of 
cruelty  they  obliged  him  to  keep  a  light  burning 
brightly  in  the  carriage  and  the  blinds  up,  so  that 
all  might  see  him.  For  two  hours  he  remained 
thus  in  the  station  with  a  seething  mob  hooting 
and  jeering  at  him.     He  was  not  allowed  to  pro- 

241 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

tect  himself  by  pulling  down  the  blinds,  and  so 
securing  privacy  for  himself. 

The  Empress  asked  us  not  speak  of  his  let- 
ter for  the  present  outside  the  Farnborough  cir- 
cle, the  Queen  having  sent  it  to  her  for  private 
perusal,  and  she  was  not  authorized  to  make  it 
public,  though  she  felt  justified  in  reading  it 
aloud  to  the  guests  in  her  house. 

Sunday,  August  29.  Added  to  the  usual  Sun- 
day party  at  tea  was  a  young  Catholic  officer 
named  Staunton,  who  had  been  one  of  those 
deputed  to  receive  the  Empress  at  the  church 
door  in  the  morning. 

The  Empress,  who  dislikes  to  see  people  wear- 
ing showy  jewels  (or  those  using  perfumes)  said 
one  day  at  lunch  to  her  niece,  Mme.  de  Mouchy, 
who  always  wore  large  handsome  pearls  in  each 
ear,  that  she  thought  it  very  foolish  of  her  not  to 
take  them  off  in  traveling  and  on  long  walks 
alone  in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  and  added 
that  she  thought  it  was  inviting  robbery,  and 
that  some  day  she  would  be  attacked  for  the  sake 
of  the  jewels. 

Mme.  de  Mouchy  laughed  at  her  aunt's  fears. 
Soon  after  she  returned  to  Paris.  Before  she 
had  been  gone  more  than  three  weeks,  she  wrote 
saying  that  her  aunt's  words  had  actually  come 
true.     During  a  drive  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne 

242 


LATER  EVENTS 

in  Paris  she  had  got  out  to  walk  a  little,  her  car- 
riage following,  and  in  a  by-path  two  men  had 
sprung  out  on  her,  snatched  at  her  earrings  and 
would  have  succeeded  in  tearing  them  from  her 
ears,  had  not  a  passing  friend  by  good  luck  seen 
the  assault  and  with  his  uplifted  stick  put  the 
robbers  to  flight. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
August  30,  1886. 

The  visitors  remain  the  same  and  do  not  seem 
at  all  in  a  hurry  to  leave,  and  as  I  have  said  a 
few  words  about  each  of  them,  there  is  no  more 
at  present.  They  are  all  amiable  and  pleasant 
to  get  on  with,  and  I  shall  be  very  sorry  indeed 
when  the  party  breaks  up. 

Talking  of  robbers  and  burglars  one  day  with 
Mme.  de  Mouchy,  here  are  two  stories  she  re- 
lated. The  first  was  about  an  acquaintance  of 
hers  in  Paris,  a  young  woman  who  was  suffering 
from  an  attack  of  rheumatism,  which  kept  her  in 
bed  and  unable  to  move.  She  was  under  good 
doctors,  but  had  no  regular  trained  nurse,  and 
therefore  advertised  for  a  ladies'  maid, — "a 
strong  healthy  woman  capable  of  lifting  a  rather 
heavy  invalid."  A  few  days  after  a  very  buxom 
maiden  appeared,  neat,  cheerful,  healthy-looking 
and  rosy,  to  whom  she  took  a  great  fancy  and 

243 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

who  lifted  her  with  the  greatest  ease,  adding  much 
to  her  comfort.  One  day  she  rang  her  bell,  and 
on  inquiry  found  her  invaluable  maid  had  gone 
out, — a  most  unusual  thing.  A  few  minutes 
afterward,  there  was  loud  knocking  at  her  front 
door  and  a  police  agent  asked  to  see  the  mistress 
of  the  house,  and  told  her  he  had  come  there  to 
arrest  a  man.  She  protested  there  was  no  man, 
but  he  was  equally  sure  there  was,  and  informed 

her  that ,  an  escaped  convict,  had  been  traced 

to  her  house,  and  that  the  clue  ceased  there.  It 
appears  that  the  prisoner,  on  gettnig  out  of  jail, 
saw  the  invalid's  advertisement,  disguised  him- 
self and  obtained  the  position,  which  he  kept  six 
weeks,  living  in  the  meantime  in  perfect  security 
from  detection.  At  last  some  slight  imprudence 
on  his  part  put  the  police  on  the  scent,  and  he 
was  traced  to  the  invalid's  house,  much  to  her  con- 
sternation. He  had,  however,  departed  for  good. 
The  other  story  was  about  Marchandon,  the 
Parisian,  who  murdered  in  a  most  barbarous  way 
the  aged  lady  he  was  serving  as  butler.  At- 
tracted by  the  renown  of  her  jewels,  he  had  tried, 
the  Duchess  said,  to  get  into  the  house  as  foot- 
man, and  only  a  certain  instinct  against  him 
prevented  her  engaging  him, — for  he  came  well 
recommended, — when  he  presented  himself  to  fill 
the  vacancy  in  her  household.  She  had  reason 
to  congratulate  herself  on  the  escape,  for  soon 

244 


LATER  EVENTS      , 

after  the  terrible  murder  with  its  gruesome  de- 
tails took  place,  and  made  all  Paris  shudder. 
She  herself  would  probably  have  been  the  victim 
instead  of  the  old  lady,  had  she  taken  Marchan- 
don  into  her  service. 

Tuesday,  August  31.  After  dinner  Princess 
Eugenie,  the  girls  and  myself  went  for  a  walk  on 
the  terrace.  I  had  a  very  unexpected  fall  and 
spent  a  sleepless  night  in  consequence,  my  head, 
foot  and  back  hurt  me  so. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  3,  1886. 

I  have  your  letter  this  morning  and  have 
hardly  more  news  to  send  you  than  you  have  to 
give  me.  Till  Tuesday  morning  everything  went 
as  usual,  and  then  there  was  a  change  in  our 
party.  On  Wednesday,  the  first,  while  several 
of  the  gentlemen  were  starting  out  for  their  first 
partridge  shooting,  Count  Sormani  was  taking 
his  leave  of  Farnborough  to  return  home  to  Ven- 
ice, and  this  morning  very  early,  to  our  great 
regret,  Prince  Murat  left  with  his  daughter  and 
M.  Protais.  She  is  so  very  nice,  has  been  such 
a  companion  to  us,  and  has  been  so  kind  to  me 
especially,  that  I  shall  miss  her  very  much.  She 
would  not  say  adieu  but  only  au  revoir. 

245 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

The  girls  and  their  uncle  will  most  likely  be 
leaving  for  Madrid  about  the  twelfth,  and  are 
already  beginning  to  think  about  packing.  I 
can  hardly  believe  it.  How  these  months  have 
flown!  I  shall  remember  them  all  my  life 
through,  and  what  interest  I  shall  now  take  in 
people  and  places  which  until  my  stay  here 
would  have  been  unknown  to  me !  The  girls  will 
be  very  sorry  to  leave,  though  M.  thinks  there  is 
no  place  half  so  nice  in  the  world  as  Madrid.  A. 
on  the  other  hand,  who  hates  society  and  loves  the 
freedom  of  country  life,  says  that,  once  the  joy 
of  seeing  her  friends  in  Madrid  is  over,  she  can- 
not think  what  will  become  of  her,  shut  up  closely 
in  the  town  nearly  all  the  year  round.  They 
wish  very  much  that  I  were  going  home  with 
them,  and  so  do  I. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  4,  1886. 
It  has  been  so  much  cooler  here  these  last  two 
days,  and  I  hope  it  has  been  the  same  with  you, 
as  the  heat  tries  you  both  so  much.  I  have  not 
felt  it  at  all,  as  I  have  been  very  quiet  indeed 
these  last  three  days.  Do  not  be  alarmed;  it  is 
nothing  at  all, — a  slight  sprain.  Only  as  a  meas- 
ure of  precaution,  Dr.  Scott,  who  is  constantly 
at  Farnborough  and  now  comes  in  very  handy, 

246 


LATER  EVENTS 

thought  I  had  better  keep  my  foot  quiet  and  not 
walk  up  and  down  stairs  for  a  few  days.  It  does 
not  pain  me  now,  and  I  can  move  about  my  room 
a  little,  though  feeling  rather  stiff  from  the 
bruises  I  got,  and  also  from  lack  of  my  usual 
exercise.     I  will  tell  you  how  it  happened : 

Could  you  have  seen  me  without  being  star- 
tled,— as  I  was, — you  would  have  laughed  with 
me  at  the  commotion  I  caused  in  the  house.  It 
might  have  been  very  serious,  but  as  it  turned 
out  it  was  nothing,  though  I  got  a  great  deal  of 
sympathy  and  attention ;  so  much  so,  that  I  really 
felt  quite  ashamed  of  myself  for  falling  down  as 
I  did.  Princess  Eugenie,  the  girls  and  I,  had 
gone  out  on  Tuesday  the  31st  at  the  Empress's 
suggestion,  it  being  a  lovely  moonlight  night, 
for  a  little  walk  on  the  terrace  which  runs  around 
the  house.  The  other  ladies  were  mostly  in  the 
drawing-room  and  the  gentlemen  in  the  billiard 
room,  the  lights  and  open  windows  of  which  at- 
tracted us.  We  went  up  to  the  window  to  see 
what  was  going  on.  We  were  all  in  a  frolicking 
mood  and  ready  for  a  joke,  and  thought  it  would 
be  fun  to  call  out  all  together  from  the  different 
windows  at  which  we  had  stationed  ourselves 
while  looking  in.  Under  the  window  which  I 
had  chosen  was  the  opening  into  the  cellar,  of 
which  we  knew  nothing.  I  rested  my  hands  on 
the  window  sill  and  before  I  had  time  even  to 

247 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

scream,  my  feet  were  in  space  and  I  had  disap- 
peared down  into  this  hole.  It  was  done  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  still  I  had  time  to  rea- 
son out  that  I  was  falling, — as  I  thought, — 
into  some  disused  well  and  that  in  a  moment  I 
should  strike  the  water,  make  a  splash  and  be 
drowned.  Many  years  of  my  life,  and  thoughts 
about  those  I  was  leaving  behind,  were  able  to 
crowd  into  my  mind  in  that  incredibly  short  num- 
ber of  seconds. 

I  was  dragged  out  by  main  force  by  the  Prin- 
cess and  one  of  the  men-servants,  who  was  first 
to  arrive  on  the  scene,  all  three  girls  calling  out 
lustily  and  concluding  from  my  absolute  silence 
that  I  must  be  dead.  By  the  time  I  was  landed 
on  the  terrace,  had  somewhat  resumed  my  scat- 
tered wits  and  grasped  the  idea  that  I  had  had 
a  bad  fall,  all  the  gentlemen  had  run  out  of  the 
house  and  were  standing  around.  Without  ask- 
ing "by  your  leave"  I  was  picked  off  my  feet  like 
a  baby  and  carried  the  nearest  way  into  the  house 
by  Prince  Murat,  where  all  the  servants  were 
assembled.  Then  the  ladies  came  flocking  out 
of  the  drawing-room  to  inquire,  condole,  sympa- 
thize and  report  the  exact  state  of  things  to  the 
Empress. 

When  I  had  been  made  to  swallow  a  glass  of 
brandy  and  water  by  practical  Mme.  Le  Breton, 
had  had  a  cut  on  my  wrist  attended  to,  and  doz- 

248 


LATER  EVENTS 

ens  of  handkerchiefs  and  much  advice  offered,  I 
was  escorted  by  the  whole  troop  back  to  the  draw- 
ing-room, where  the  Empress  was  anxiously- 
waiting  with  a  face  that  rivaled  all  the  others 
in  interest  and  alarm.  After  she  was  satisfied 
that  I  was  more  frightened  than  hurt,  I  was  es- 
corted to  bed,  the  girls  coming  with  me  and  help- 
ing me  up  the  stairs,  with  Princess  Eugenie  fol- 
lowing. When  in  bed,  she  insisted  upon  bathing 
and  bandaging  my  poor  foot  with  improvised 
bandages,  for  it  had  doubled  under  me  when 
I  fell,  and  later  swelled  up.  It  was  half-past 
twelve  before  my  room  was  quiet,  for  every  min- 
ute maids  and  visitors  were  coming  to  my  door 
to  inquire  and  offer  services.  The  next  morn- 
ing before  ten  o'clock  I  had  visits  from  nearly 
the  whole  household,  including  the  Empress,  who 
brought  Dr.  Scott  with  her. 

The  following  day  of  my  imprisonment  the 
Princess,  thinking  it  too  hot  on  my  side  of  the 
house,  very  simply,  and  with  her  gigantic  height 
and  strength,  and  perfect  good  nature,  gathered 
me  up  in  her  arms  as  if  I  had  been  a  feather 
weight,  and  carried  me  down  to  her  room.  There 
she  read  to  me,  showed  me  her  jewels  and  did 
everything  she  could  think  of  to  distract  and 
amuse  me.  The  Empress  came  later  to  make  a 
little  call,  after  which  Prince  Murat  came  in  and 
told  me  he  was  a  mes  ordres  when  I  wanted  to 

249 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

be  carried  back  again.     Instead,  I  was  carried 
downstairs  by  him  to  dinner. 

P.  S.  The  Empress  and  the  whole  party  have 
just  been  under  my  window  calling  up  to  ask 
news  of  me,  and  inquiring  if  I  am  going  to  be 
allowed  downstairs  this  afternoon. 

Monday,  September  6.  The  Duquesa  de  Os- 
suna  left  for  Spain.  The  girls  went  on  General 
Byrne's  coach  to  the  ruins  of  Waverley ;  so  sorry 
I  could  not  go  with  them.  The  Duque  and 
Duquesa  de  Alva  dined  here. 

Tuesday,  September  7.  The  Archduke  of 
Austria  and  his  aid-de-camp  came  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  Empress.  I  saw  them  several  times  from 
my  sofa  by  the  window. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  7,  1886. 
There  is  really  very  little  news  to  give  you,  ex- 
cept that  Dr.  Scott  has  promised  me  I  may  go 
down  this  afternoon.  Should  he,  however,  think 
it  more  prudent  for  me  still  to  wait  one  more 
day  before  walking  down  three  flights  of  stairs, 
the  Empress,  who  paid  me  a  nice  little  visit  this 
morning,  will  have  me  carried  down,  for  feeling 
as  well  as  I  do,  it  must  be,  she  says,  in  spite  of 

250 


LATER  EVENTS 

visitors  too  dull  in  my  room.  Yesterday  morn- 
ing I  already  had  a  most  delightful  and  affection- 
ate letter  from  Princess  Eugenie. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  9,  1886. 

Post  time  went  by  while  chatting  with  Mme. 
de  Arcos,  who  lunched  here  today,  and  so  I  have, 
I  am  afraid,  lost  all  chance  of  letting  you  have 
your  usual  letter  tomorrow.  Before  dressing 
for  dinner  (I  am  glad  to  say  I  am  going  down) 
I  must  write  you  a  few  lines  to  welcome  you  back 
to  London. 

The  Empress  met  me  on  the  stairs  as  I  was 
hopping  down,  leaning  on  the  banisters,  and 
though  Dr.  Scott  said  it  would  not  hurt  me  in 
the  least  to  walk  down  carefully,  she  insisted  upon 
my  finishing  the  rest  of  the  journey  seated  in  a 
hall  chair,  carried  by  M.  Pietri,  who  was  uncere- 
moniously pressed  into  service  assisted  by  one  of 
the  valets  standing  by.  Quite  an  ovation  was 
given  me  when  I  got  to  the  table  and  they  drank 
my  health  in  champagne,  a  very  unusual  bever- 
age here.  Really,  every  one  is  wonderfully  kind, 
and  I  cannot  help  being  grateful  for  it  all,  in- 
cluding the  pleasant  months  I  have  spent  here. 

I  cannot  believe  the  girls  are  really  going  on 
Saturday.     I  shall  feel  so  lost  without  them,  and 

251 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

they  seem  almost  as  reluctant  as  I  to  say  goodby, 
but  I  hope  we  shall  meet  again  some  day.  If 
ever  I  go  to  Spain,  there  is  a  warm  invitation 
awaiting  me  to  stay  at  Calle  Sacremento  in  Ma- 
drid. How  I  should  enjoy  it.  I  have  written 
to  H.,  asking  if  you  can  arrange  to  let  her  spend 
the  afternoon  of  Saturday  with  the  girls  in  Lon- 
don. Their  uncle  has  promised  me  not  to  let 
her  get  over-tired  and  to  see  that  she  is  sent  safely 
home  long  before  they  themselves  start  on  the 
evening  train  for  Paris. 

Friday,  September  10.  The  girls'  last  expedi- 
tion on  General  Byrne's  coach.  They  went  to 
Aldershot,  where  they  bought  presents  and  sou- 
venirs to  take  home.  Dr.  Scott  came  to  dinner 
and  spent  the  evening. 

Saturday,  September  11.  At  10:30  M.  and 
A.,  and  their  uncle,  went  to  the  station  accom- 
panied by  the  Empress  and  Mme.  Le  Breton. 
Dr.  Scott  was  to  meet  them  at  Woking  Junc- 
tion, and  H.  at  the  Charing  Cross  Hotel  at  3 
p.  m.  Quite  a  sad  parting.  The  Empress  was 
most  kind,  and  especially  affectionate  to  me  all 
day  and  at  dinner,  but  it  did  not  prevent  our 
spending  a  rather  quiet  and  dull  evening,  and  I 
was  glad  when  bed  time  arrived. 

252 


LATER  EVENTS 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  14,  1886. 

Very  glad  H.  was  able  to  see  M.  and  A.,  as  it 
was  a  mutual  pleasure ;  a  pity  though  it  was  Sat- 
urday, for  when  everything  is  shut  up,  London 
looks  so  dismal.  As  they  seem  to  have  amused 
themselves  all  the  same,  it  does  not  matter.  I 
had  an  account  of  the  afternoon  from  Dr.  Scott 
on  Sunday,  when  he  came  to  give  the  Empress 
the  last  news  of  her  nieces,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  see  if  my  foot  was  gaining  in  strength. 

Tuesday,  September  14.  Dr.  Scott  turned  up 
very  late, — at  seven  o'clock,  having  been  until 
that  hour  at  a  field  day.  The  Empress  asked 
him  to  stay  to  dinner,  which  he  did.  His  efforts 
at  French  are  most  amusing,  and  he  is  quite  un- 
embarrassed at  the  choice  of  the  wrong  word, 
and  pleasantly  uses  any  one  which  happens  to 
come  into  his  head. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  17,  1886. 
The  Empress  spent  Wednesday  in  London. 
She  had  promised  to  meet  her  niece,  Mme.  de 
Mouchy,  now  staying  with  Lady  Holland,  and 
go  with  her  to  the  Colonial  Exhibition.  There, 
the  Empress's  party, — the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 

253 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Mouchy,  the  Due  de  Bassano,  Mme.  Le  Breton 
and  M.  Pietri, — were  met  by  chance  by  the 
Duchess  of  Teck,  who  was  lionizing  her  sister 
the  Grand-Duchess  of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz  and 
her  children, — so  the  party  was  a  large  one.  On 
leaving  the  Exhibition  they  all  went  to  Lady 
Holland's,  where  those  who  did  not  already  know 
the  old  historic  house  were  shown  over  it,  and 
were  delighted  at  its  quaintness,  its  dignity,  and 
the  treasures  it  contains.  Before  leaving,  the 
Grand-Duchess  said  to  the  Empress,  "You  are 
going,  of  course,  to  see  my  mother,  are  you  not?" 
So  the  Empress  felt  obliged  after  this  leading 
question,  tired  as  she  was,  to  drag  herself  off  to 
Kensington  Palace  to  see  the  old  Duchess  of 
Cambridge  (she  was  ninety  her  last  birthday). 
They  were  home  here  at  8  P.  m.,  the  Empress 
quite  done  up. 

I  certainly  should  not  have  failed  to  be  one 
of  the  party,  had  it  not  been  for  my  wretched 
sprain.  Dr.  Scott  came  to  see  me  and  after 
painting  my  foot  with  iodine,  had  tea  and  spent 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon  with  me. 

Yesterday  evening  M.  Rainbeaux,  who  was 
here  previously  in  June  and  took  so  many  pho- 
tographs, arrived  on  a  second  visit,  this  time  with 
his  wife  1  and  Felix,  a  son  of  about  nineteen, — 

i  Daughter  of  M.  Mocquart,  banker,  and  secretary  to  Napoleon 
III. 

254 


LATER  EVENTS 

and  to-night  a  M.  ancf  Mme.  Duruy,  and  Victor, 
their  little  boy  of  twelve,  reached  Farnborough. 
Today  the  dear  Duchesse  de  Mouchy  and  her 
husband  came  to  take  final  leave  of  the  Empress, 
and  to  accompany  the  Grand-Duchess  who 
lunched  here.  They  leave  Lady  Holland's  for 
Paris  tomorrow  morning.  It  seems  strange  to 
have  had  granddaughters  of  George  III  under 
the  same  roof  as  myself.  A  very  close  link  with 
the  far  off  past. 

I  have  already  had  a  long  affectionate  letter 
in  Spanish  from  M.,  which  gave  me  great  pleas- 
ure. 

From  a  letter : 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  22,  1886. 

As  strangers  are  coming  to  lunch,  among 
others  a  brother  of  Count  Joseph  Primoli,  our 
Cowes  friend,  and  I  shall  very  likely  not  be  able 
to  write  before  post  time,  I  send  you  now  these 
few  lines  scribbled  hastily,  that  you  may  not  be 
disappointed  in  case  I  have  not  time  for  more. 
Our  party  continues  the  same,  serious  and  inter- 
esting, but  not  so  full  of  entrain  as  when  Mme. 
de  Mouchy  was  here.  The  King  of  Portugal 
was  to  have  lunched  with  us  on  Monday,  but  un- 
fortunately, the  Duchess  of  Teck  had  invited  the 
,     255 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Empress  to  go  and  pay  a  visit  at  White  Lodge, 
Richmond;  and  since  on  a  previous  occasion  it 
had  been  necessary  for  H.  I.  M.  to  decline  some 
invitation  of  the  Duchess's,  and  there  had  been 
a  misunderstanding  and  some  offense  taken  in 
consequence,  the  Empress  felt  obliged  to  sacri- 
fice the  King  this  time.  It  was  a  very  awkward 
affair  all  around,  and  I  personally  was  extremely 
sorry,  for  I  should  have  liked  to  meet  his  Portu- 
guese Majesty,  although  according  to  the  Em- 
press he  is  exceptionally  plain. 

Yesterday  Sir  James  Lacaita,  another  savant, 
took  his  mid-day  meal  here,  so  the  conversation 
at  table  was  of  a  very  serious  nature.  I  send 
you  Princess  Eugenie's  nice  letter  of  yesterday. 
Please  return  it  when  read. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  25,  1886. 
I  am  hurrying  to  finish  this  before  going  down 
for  lunch,  to  which  the  Prince  de  Wagram,  ma- 
ternal uncle  of  Princess  Eugenie  Murat,  is  com- 
ing. The  Duruys  left  this  morning;  they  are  a 
very  gifted  family.  He  is  an  ancien  ministre 
d 'instruction  sous  VEmpire,  belongs  to  the  Acad- 
emie  Francaise,  and  is  a  member  of  l'lnstitut  de 
France  and  of  the  Academie  des  Beaux  Arts, — 
in  fact  a  very  distinguished  man  all  round,  who 

256 


S3    J= 

12 


LATER  EVENTS 

is  now  completing  an  illustrated  history  of  an- 
cient Greece  he  has  been  working  on  for  these 
last  twenty  years.  He  is  well  known  already 
by  his  history  of  France.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Mile.  Redel,  governess  to  the  daughters  of  the 
Duchesse  d'Albe,  and  in  that  capacity  well  known 
to  the  Empress.  She  helps  her  husband  with  his 
writing  and  so  do  his  two  grown  up  sons,  one  of 
whom,  Georges,  has  quite  a  reputation  as  a  novel- 
ist. The  Duruys  will  be  a  nice  addition  to  the 
Parisian  friends  I  have  made.  I  have  invitations 
from  all  the  visitors  here,  to  go  and  see  them 
whenever  I  can. 

Dr.  Scott  who  came  to  see  us  yesterday, 
pleased  with  the  wonderful  improvement  in  my 
foot  during  the  last  few  days,  has  given  me  leave 
to  do  anything  in  moderation  now,  provided  I 
guard  against  fresh  sprains  by  keeping  on  the 
bandages  for  some  time  to  come.  I  do  hope  I 
may  be  able  to  get  to  the  Colonial  Exhibition 
some  day  now,  as  I  think  the  Rainbeaux  will  go 
again  before  the  closing  day. 

Sunday,  September  19.  The  regular  Sunday 
party  for  afternoon  tea,  with  the  addition  of  Sir 
Algernon  and  Lady  Bothwick  and  daughter. 

Conversation  after  dinner,  as  was  quite  usual, 
drifted  to  the  past,  and  included  eventually  the 
Orsini  attentat  of  January,  1358.     The  Empress 

257 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

told  us  that  they  (the  imperial  party)  were  one 
night  on  their  way  to  the  Opera  House,  then  in 
rue  Lepelletier,  when  all  at  once  there  was  a  ter- 
rific rending  noise,  and  the  carriage  suddenly 
halted  with  a  jerk  that  threw  the  occupants  out 
of  their  seats,  while  injuring  the  coachman  and 
killing  the  horses.  Then  came  a  second  terrify- 
ing report.  After  the  third  bomb  exploded  they 
were  left  in  absolute  darkness,  which  added  very 
much  to  the  horror  of  the  experience.  The  con- 
cussion had  been  so  great  it  had  put  out  all  the 
lights  in  the  street.  The  cries  of  the  frightened 
people  and  the  wounded,  the  rearing  and  neigh- 
ing of  frantic  horses,  was  succeeded  by  a  silence 
de  mort.  They  all  held  their  breath,  expecting 
another  explosion,  and  thinking  their  end  had 
surely  come.  The  first  terrible  shock  over,  a 
man  stepped  forward  to  open  the  carriage  door, 
and  the  Emperor  following  his  first  impulse,  and 
thinking  him  probably  an  assassin,  dealt  him  a 
terrible  blow  on  the  head  which  felled  him  to  the 
ground.  The  suspect  later  proved  to  be  an 
anxious  and  friendly  official  come  to  the  res- 
cue, and  the  Emperor  fully  made  it  up  to  him 
afterward  for  the  very  natural  but  awkward  mis- 
take. As  there  were  no  more  explosions  the  im- 
perial couple  thought  they  had  better  keep  to 
their  original  plan,  and  go  into  the  Opera  House, 
and  by  showing  themselves  reassure  the  public, 

258 


LATER  EVENTS 

then  in  danger  of  a  panic.  To  do  so  they  had  to 
step  over  the  wounded  and  dead  bodies  strewn 
about.  When  the  Empress  finally  entered  her 
box  and  stood  there  bowing,  and  feeling  more 
dead  than  alive,  everybody  rose  and  gave  her  a 
warm  ovation.  Noticing  the  glances  of  the  peo- 
ple fastened  persistently  on  her,  she  looked  down 
and  saw  the  front  of  her  satin  gown  covered  with 
blood,  the  result  of  a  tiny  cut  on  her  cheek  which 
in  the  excitement  she  had  not  even  felt,  but  which 
was  responsible  for  the  stain.  To  quiet  the  peo- 
ple's anxiety  for  their  sovereign  an  announce- 
ment had  to  be  made  from  the  stage,  stating  that 
she  was  not  seriously  injured.  Then,  till  mes- 
sengers were  despatched  and  had  returned,  came 
the  hardest  part  of  the  evening  to  bear, — to  sit 
through  the  play  in  suspense,  dreading  lest  some 
attack  might  have  been  attempted  against  her 
little  two  year  old  son  at  home  in  the  Tuileries. 
At  the  end  of  her  narrative  the  Empress  added: 
"Je  ne  nie  pas  que  j'avais  tres  peur;  le  bruit, 
l'obscurite,  l'incertitude,  les  cris  et  les  gemisse- 
ments  des  blesses;  la  vue  des  cadavres  tout  au- 
tour ;  la  voiture  traversee ;  et  le  chapeau  de  l'Em- 
pereur  crible  de  trous, — tout  cela  etait  epouvan- 
table.  L'Empereur  a  montre  un  sang-froid  ad- 
mirable, et  moi,  tout  en  ayant  affreusement  peur, 
j'ai  passe  (comme  du  rests  je  l'ai  fait  toute  ma 
vie) ,  pour  avoir  un  courage  extraordinaire!    En 

259 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

apparence,  j'avais  la  peur  la  plus  digne  qu'il  fut 
possible  d'avoir,  car  j  'avais  trop  peur  pour  crier, 
et  trop  peur  pour  bouger, — j'etais  paralisee, — 
et  alors  on  croyait  que  j'etais  completement  in- 
differente  et  que  cela  ne  me  faisait  absolument 
rien!"1 

She  only  reached  home  and  her  son  after  mid- 
night, and  then  had  to  hold  a  reception  for  grate- 
ful subjects. 

Saturday,  September  25.  General  Fielding, 
Earl  Denbigh's  brother,  came  to  take  his  final 
leave  of  the  Empress  before  his  departure  from 
Aldershot.     He  had  tea  with  us  on  the  terrace. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
September  28,  1886. 
I  hope  you  will  not  expect  me  to-day,  as  I 
have  been  persuaded,  much  against  my  inclina- 
tion, not  to  join  the  Exhibition  party.     On  ac- 

i  ■  I  do  not  deny  that  I  was  very  frightened ;  the  noise,  the  dark- 
ness, the  uncertainty,  the  cries  and  groans  of  the  wounded,  the 
sight  of  the  corpses  strewn  around ;  the  carriage  and  the  Emperor's 
hat  riddled  with  holes  — all  that  was  terrifying.  The  Emperor 
was  admirably  calm,  and  I,  though  fearfully  frightened,  appeared 
(as  indeed  I  have  done  all  my  life)  to  have  wonderful  courage.  I 
had  on  the  surface  the  most  dignified  fear  it  is  possible  to  have, 
for  I  was  too  frightened  to  scream,  too  frightened  to  move, —  I  was 
paralyzed, —  and  so  people  thought  I  was  completely  indifferent 
and  that  the  affair  had  absolutely  no  effect  upon  me." 

260 


LATER  EVENTS 

count  of  the  departing  Indians  the  crowd  will  be 
very  great,  and  though  I  can  now  walk  quite  well 
on  level  ground  with  a  stick,  everyone  thinks  it 
would  be  foolish  for  me  to  attempt  the  expedi- 
tion. Dr.  Tyler  wrote,  very  kindly  offering  to 
have  a  bath  chair  at  the  main  entrance  for  me, 
but  I  don't  like  to  accept  and  take  up  his  time 
on  this,  his  last  day  in  England.  They  sail  for 
Bombay  Thursday.  So  I  have  decided  to  give 
up  the  trip  altogether,  great  also  as  is  my  disap- 
pointment in  not  seeing  you. 

But  my  visit  to  you  need  only  be  postponed  a 
little,  I  hope.  I  have  a  plan  for  next  week. 
When  Mme.  de  Mouchy  was  here  and  they  all 
went  with  the  Empress  to  visit  Lady  Holland, 
I  told  the  former  how  sorry  I  was  to  have  missed 
my  opportunity  of  seeing  the  old  historic  house. 
She  agreed  to  speak  to  Mr.  Lane,  the  steward, 
and  get  me  permission  to  visit  it  when  in  London. 
The  place  will  not  be  dismantled  for  another  fort- 
night, he  writes,  and  I  have  only  to  name  the  day 
and  hour,  and  he  will  be  ready  to  show  me  over 
everything.  Now,  this  is  what  I  propose:  when 
the  visitors  have  left,  I  hope  to  go  to  London  and 
take  H.  and  some  other  friend  to  visit  Holland 
House,  and  then  spend  the  remainder  of  the  day 
with  you.  M.  Rainbeaux  has  g*iven  me  two 
photographs  of  this  house;  that  is  all  he  has  to 

261 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

spare  at  present  but  he  has  plenty  in  Paris,  and 
has  promised  me  a  copy  of  each  one  in  which  I 
appear. 

The  other  day,  the  Empress  who  never  would, 
so  far,  allow  herself  to  be  included  in  any  of  the 
groups,  gave  her  consent,  and  in  a  moment  M. 
Rainbeaux  had  taken  two  instantaneous  pictures 
before  she  could  change  her  mind.  Unfortu- 
nately, I  was  not  on  the  spot  at  the  time,  so  I 
shall  have  no  claim  on  these,  but  I  think  one  may 
be  given  me  all  the  same,  as  our  amateur  pho- 
tographer is  generous  and  good  natured,  as  well 
as  clever. 

Yesterday  we  had  his  excellency  the  Portu- 
guese minister,  M.  D'Antas,  and  M.  le  Baron  de 
Varu  to  lunch,  and  in  the  afternoon  arrived  the 
Duque  de  Alva,  whom  I  missed  a  fortnight  ago, 
and  also  his  wife,  because  of  my  sprain.  I  can- 
not say  much  for  his  personal  appearance ;  small 
and  thin  and  with  a  nervous  tic,  he  is  not  at  all 
what  one  would  imagine  a  Spanish  grandee  of 
the  first  class,  and  a  descendant  of  so  great  a 
man  as  the  famous  warrior,  would  be  like.  But 
he  is  kindly  and  sociable,  and  during  a  drive  we 
took  together  this  afternoon  in  the  dogcart  (the 
Empress  and  others  being  in  the  landau  and  vic- 
toria) we  got  along  splendidly.  He  told  me 
many  interesting  incidents  of  his  childhood  dur- 
ing the  war,  besides  a  good  deal  about  people  in 

262 


LATER  EVENTS 

Madrid  I  know  by  name  through  M.  and  A., 
so  the  drive  was  quite  a  pleasant  one.  In  the  in- 
terest of  our  conversation  he  forgot  his  nervous 
eccentricities  for  the  time  being. 

He  has  all  sorts  of  queer  tricks  and  manner- 
isms which  he  practises  when  he  thinks  himself 
unobserved,  and  at  which  the  Empress  laughs 
unmercifully,  hoping  thereby  to  shame  him  out 
of  them.  I  noticed  one  day  that  he  dropped  his 
napkin  at  table  and  stooped  to  pick  it  up;  this 
happened  not  only  once,  but  several  times  during 
the  meal.  After  dinner,  the  Empress  talking 
to  us  about  her  guest,  explained  this  queer  habit. 
He  feels  that  he  must  during  the  meal  touch  his 
knee  at  least  once  to  the  ground.  If  he  is  pre- 
vented from  doing  it,  he  seems  miserably  pre- 
occupied and  will  not  eat,  so  he  makes  a  regular 
practice  now  of  dropping  his  napkin  at  once,  and 
in  picking  it  up  slips  his  knee  to  the  floor,  and  is 
thus  contented.  He  always  tries  also  to  touch 
with  the  soles  of  his  feet  the  lintels  of  any  door 
he  passes  through. 

I  noticed  how  cleverly  when  going  into  dinner 
he  made  conversation,  or  slight  pauses  in  the 
doorway,  until  he  could  accomplish  his  end  and 
properly  step  on  the  lintel.  The  Empress,  whose 
arm  he  had,  hurried  him  along,  and  said  laugh- 
ingly, "Now,  Carlos,  I  know  what  you  are  doing, 
—come  along,  we  can't  wait  for  you." 

263 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Talking  one  day  of  plucky  and  courageous 
acts,  the  Empress  told  us  several  anecdotes  and 
among  others  one  about  her  sister,  the  Duquesa 
de  Alva, — anecdotes  which  I  think  come  in  ap- 
propriately here.  She  and  her  husband  were  liv- 
ing in  Madrid,  in  the  Palacio  Alva,  then  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  the  old  palaces,  and  now, 
since  its  skilful  and  artistic  restoration,  quite  the 
most  beautiful,  the  Empress  says. 

In  the  evenings,  following  the  Spanish  custom, 
they  often  went  to  the  different  Tertulias.  It 
happened  one  night,  when  they  had  been  play- 
ing cards,  that  the  Duchess  went  home  with  her 
maid  at  a  somewhat  earlier  hour  than  usual,  leav- 
ing the  Duke  behind.  She  entered  the  palace 
with  her  woman,  crossed  the  numerous  uninhab- 
ited suites  of  rooms  in  the  huge  building,  and 
entered  her  bedroom,  locking  in  herself  and  her 
maid  as  she  always  did  at  night,  if  her  husband 
had  not  returned  with  her.  While  undressing 
she  accidentally  dropped  something  and  stooped 
to  pick  it  up.  In  so  doing  she  thought  she  no- 
ticed something  unusual  under  the  bed,  but  paid 
little  attention  at  first.  She  felt  impelled,  how- 
ever, to  look  again  and  this  time  she  distinctly 
saw  two  eyes  glistening.  The  fact  suddenly 
dawned  upon  her  that  some  one  was  there,  but 
her  presence  of  mind  made  her  realize  at  once 
that  she  must  not  appear  to  have  seen  anything. 

264 


LATER  EVENTS 

So  with  extraordinary  self-control  she  quietly 
went  on  undressing.  Her  first  aim  was  to  pre- 
vent her  maid's  suspecting  that  there  was  any- 
thing wrong;  the  girl  would,  she  argued  to  her- 
self, in  all  probability  scream,  and  disaster  might 
follow.  Her  second  aim  was  to  obtain  aid,  and 
that  immediately.  She  thought  hard  for  a  min- 
ute as  to  what  she  could  do,  undressing  leisurely 
all  the  time,  and  soon  her  plan  of  action  was 
evolved.  She  began  casually  telling  her  maid 
about  the  evening  she  had  spent,  and  how  pleas- 
ant it  had  been.  She  explained  also  that  she  had 
played  cards  and  been  in  luck,  and  won  quite  a 
large  sum  of  money.  Then  seeming  suddenly  to 
remember  that  she  had  left  her  purse  behind,  and 
simulating  great  concern  about  it,  said  to  her 
maid,  "You  must  go  and  get  it  tonight,  for  the 
frotteurs  and  cleaners  will  be  there  early  in  the 
morning,  it  will  be  pocketed,  and  I  shall  prob- 
ably never  see  the  money  again."  She  instructed 
the  maid  to  go  in  person  to  the  house  of  the  Duke 

of ,  to  deliver  into  his  own  hands  a  note  she 

would  write  telling  him  about  the  money,  and 
then  bring  back  the  purse  when  found.  The 
note  was  written  and  sealed,  and  the  maid  quite 
unconcernedly  went  on  her  errand,  leaving  the 
Duchess  alone  in  the  room  with  the  "somebody" 
under  her  bed. 

Then  began,  the  Empress  told  us,  the  hardest 
265 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

time  for  her  plucky  sister,  who  tried  to  eke  out 
the  minutes  and  invent  things  to  do  without  ex- 
citing suspicion.  At  last  she  realized  she  could 
delay  no  longer,  and  that  she  must  get  into  bed 
or  the  man  would  be  suspicious  of  her  dawdling, 
so  she  took  her  courage  a  deux  mains  and  un- 
flinchingly walked  over  to  her  bed,  and  very 
slowly  and  deliberately  stepped  in. 

Later  on  she  congratulated  herself  on  having 
had  the  forethought  and  nerve  to  do  this,  for  it 
will  appear  later  it  actually  saved  her  life.  She 
then  spent  ten  or  fifteen  terrible  minutes  of  sus- 
pense, wondering  whether  the  intruder  would 
now  creep  out  and  stab  her, — first  feeling  im- 
pelled to  bound  out  of  bed  and  rush  from  the 
room,  then  resisting  the  temptation  so  as  to  pro- 
tect her  property.  However,  these  few  trying 
minutes,  which  seemed  like  hours,  passed  at  last, 
— she  heard  to  her  infinite  relief  the  tramp  of 
footsteps  coming  down  the  long  corridor,  and 
knew  she  was  safe.  The  note  to  her  recent  host 
had  briefly  acquainted  him  with  the  trying  situa- 
tion she  was  in,  and  urged  him  to  come  as  quickly 
as  possible,  with  her  husband  and  the  police. 
Another  minute's  delay,  the  door  was  burst 
open  and  the  police  made  straight  for  the  bed, 
then  secured  and  dragged  out  the  would-be 
burglar. 

266 


LATER  EVENTS 

When  brought  to  justice,  he  was  asked  at  the 
trial  what  his  intentions  had  been  and  he  con- 
fessed that  he  had  come  to  steal  the  Duchess's 
jewels,  tempted  by  the  knowledge  that  she  pos- 
sessed some  of  the  most  beautiful  and  renowned 
pearls  in  Europe.  He  intended  at  first  to  se- 
cure these  only,  but  hearing  her  tell  her  maid 
of  her  winnings  at  the  card-table,  he  thought  he 
would  keep  quiet  a  little  longer  and  so  get  the 
purse  of  gold  besides. 

In  the  first  few  moments,  he  said,  he  imagined 
the  Duchess  had  seen  him,  and  he  felt  inclined 
to  jump  out  at  once  and  seize  the  jewels,  and 
owned  he  was  quite  prepared  to  take  her  life,  too, 
if  she  resisted.  When  she  wrote  the  note  his  sus- 
picions were  again  aroused,  he  said,  and  he 
watched  closely  for  tell-tale  signs  of  fear  on  her 
part ;  but  after  the  deliberately  calm  way  she  got 
into  bed,  his  mind  was  quite  at  ease,  and  he  de- 
cided within  himself  that  it  was  not  possible  she 
could  know  of  his  presence.  He  could  not  be- 
lieve any  woman  could  get  into  bed  so  quietly 
under  such  untoward  circumstances.  But  here 
he  had  reckoned  without  his  host, — her  pluck  was 
superior  to  his  reasoning,  and  he  paid  in  prison 
the  penalty  of  his  would-be  theft,  and  of  his  lack 
of  judgment  in  the  character  of  an  exceptionally 
fine  woman. 

267 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  1,  1886. 

The  Empress  has  invited  me  to  stay  on  here, 
as  she  is  not  leaving  for  Italy  just  yet. 

I  look  forward  to  spending  Tuesday  or  Wed- 
nesday with  you,  and  I  hope  I  shall  find  you  well 
and  H.'s  cold  quite  gone.  She  has  a  compagne 
de  malheur  in  the  Empress,  who  has  a  violent  in- 
fluenza cold,  too,  in  spite  of  the  lovely  weather. 
On  Tuesday,  the  twenty-eighth,  Mme.  and  Felix 
Rainbeaux,  whose  first  visit  to  England  this  is, 
went  to  see  Windsor  Castle,  and  the  whole  party 
(the  Rainbeaux  and  the  Duruys)  left  this  morn- 
ing for  Paris,  so  we  are  now  very  quiet.  The 
Marquis  de  Bassano  came  to  lunch  and  to  say 
goodby  to  the  Empress ;  he  is  starting  on  a  shoot- 
ing trip  to  Algeria,  spending  a  few  days  first 
with  his  family  at  Folkstone,  and  the  Duke,  his 
father,  has  gone  to  see  him  off. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  2,  1886. 
At  present  the  Empress,  Mme.  Le  Breton,  M. 
Pietri  and  myself  are  quite  alone — rather  a  dif- 
ference now  in  the  size  of  the  table  at  meals. 
Next  week  a  few  people  are  coming  to  enliven  us 
again, — Mme.  de  Arcos  and  her  sister,  and  a 

268 


LATER  EVENTS 

young  Frenchman  who  has  already  been  here, 
M.  Urbain  Chevreau. 

After  the  lovely  day  of  yesterday  we  had  a 
most  violent  storm  at  night.  I  hardly  ever  re- 
member seeing  such  lightning,  but  it  did  not  last 
long, — only  from  about  7:15  to  the  end  of  our 
dinner  at  nine,  and  then  the  stars  came  out.  I 
wish  the  Empress  would  think  of  inviting  H. 
down  for  a  day  now, — everything  was  so  cold  and 
bare  when  she  was  here  in  March, — but  of  course, 
it  is  rather  too  much  to  hope  that  she  will  think 
of  it,  and  the  Empress  never  could  imagine  I'm 
sure  the  pleasure  strangers  get  out  of  what  she 
is  not  only  accustomed  to,  but  thoroughly  tired  of. 

This  evening  at  table  our  party  was  further 
reduced  to  only  Mme.  Le  Breton,  M.  Pietri  and 
myself,  and  we  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  in 
the  Empress's  salon  de  travail,  her  cold  being  too 
bad  for  her  to  come  to  the  dining-room. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  6,  1886. 
It  seems  absurd  of  me  to  say  I  have  not  had  a 
minute  all  day  to  write  to  you,  but  such  is  really 
the  case.  Now,  at  7  P.  m.,  I  am  sitting  down  in 
my  room  for  the  first  time  today  for  a  few  min- 
utes' leisure.  On  getting  up  this  morning  I  set 
to  work  till  11:30  on  the  dress  I  am  arranging. 

269 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Then  I  went  to  the  Empress's  room  and  helped 
her  with  her  embroidery  till  one  o'clock  lunch, 
after  which,  it  being  rainy,  we  set  to  work  again 
with  our  silks  and  needles  till  tea  time  at  five; 
and  now  I  have  only  just  come  up  to  my  room, 
the  conversation  lasting  all  this  time.  The  Em- 
press was  tired  of  embroidering  and  was  glad  to 
chat,  but  I,  in  a  less  calm  state  of  mind,  was 
steadily  watching  the  clock,  hoping  to  come  up 
and  write  to  you,  knowing  how  disappointed  you 
would  be  if  you  did  not  hear  from  me  at  least  to- 
morrow morning. 

I  hope  to  see  H.  the  day  after  tomorrow,  as  the 
Empress  has  asked  me  to  invite  her  to  spend  the 
day  here.  Strange  that  the  invitation  should 
have  so  soon  followed  the  expression  of  my  wish, 
— thought  transference  perhaps.  Let  us  hope  it 
will  be  fine.  There  is  a  train  at  9 :45  reaching  here 
at  11 :10,  which  would  give  her  a  nice  long  day. 

I  have  only  seven  and  a  half  minutes  to  dress 
and  get  downstairs  for  dinner,  so  goodby  hastily. 

The  Empress  told  us  at  tea  time  certain  funny 
incidents,  which  might  belong  to  the  Punch  series 
of  things  "better  left  unsaid."  Mme.  la  Mar- 
quise de  la  Bedoyere,  when  at  the  Tuileries,  heard 
some  one  in  a  group  in  the  drawing-room  ask, 
as  a  lady  entered  the  room,  "Qui  est  ce  petit 
pruneau  la  qui  entre?"  An  angry  but  ceremoni- 
ous voice  answered,  "Madame,  c'est  ma  femme!" 

270 


LATER  EVENTS 

Thoroughly  disconcerted  and  much  excited,  the 
lady  moved  off  to  another  group  to  tell  the  occur- 
rence, and  had  just  said  the  words:  "Et  je 
disais:  'Qui  est  ce  petit  pruneau  la?'  "  when  the 
same  voice  behind  her  answered  again: — "Et  je 
repondis :     'Madame  c'est  ma  f emme !'  "  * 

We  also  had  a  pleasant  account  of  the  little 
plays  given  at  Compiegne  on  the  Empress's  fete 
by  her  ladies,  and  all  the  fun  and  merriment  they 
occasioned.  Prosper  Merimee  (her  childhood 
friend)  often  wrote  the  plays  and  the  charades, 
and  Princess  Metternich  was  one  of  the  principal 
actors,  and  led  matters  with  a  high  hand.  She 
was  plain  to  ugliness,  but  full  of  intelligence  and 
ready  wit,  as  the  following  will  show.  A  lady 
who  was  anxiously  pressing  forward  to  see  this 
renowned  woman,  exclaimed  under  her  breath  on 
seeing  her,  "Oh,  quel  singe  [Oh,  what  a  mon- 
key] !"  She  was  overheard  by  the  Princess,  who, 
bowing  politely,  turned  to  her  and  said  without 
a  moment's  hesitation,  "Oui,  madame,  le  singe  a 
la  mode  [Yes,  Madame,  the  fashionable  mon- 
key]." 

Sunday,  October  3.  General  and  Mrs.  Byrne 
and  Reggie  came  to  tea,  also  Dr.  Scott.     The 

i"Who  is  that  little  black  thing  coming  in?"  "Madame,  it  is 
my  wife."  "And  I  was  just  saying,  'Who  is  that  little  black 
thing? ' "    "  And  I  answered:  '  Madame,  it  is  my  wife ! '  " 

271 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 
Due  de  Bassano  returned  from  Folkstone  at  10 

P.M. 

Monday,  October  4.  In  the  afternoon  went 
for  a  drive  with  M.  Pietri,  who  talked  interest- 
ingly about  the  Franco-Prussian  War  and  the 
Prince  Imperial.  We  called  on  Mrs.  Scott,  who 
was  out. 

Wednesday,  October  6.  Worked  all  day  with 
the  Empress,  helping  her  with  her  embroidery, 
which  she  is  finishing  for  Lady  Revelstoke  (Lady 
Baring  that  was).  It  is  going  to  be  made  up 
into  a  screen,  and  the  Empress  showed  me  how 
to  do  parts  of  it, — just  tedious  filling  in, — which 
greatly  helps  her. 

Friday,  October  8.  Embroidery  again  with 
the  Empress  most  of  the  day.  Dr.  Scott  called 
to  inquire  after  her  cold.  Went  for  a  long  drive 
in  the  afternoon  with  the  Due  de  Bassano,  who 
told  me  many  interesting  things  about  his  child- 
hood and  recollections  of  his  youth.  His  father, 
first  Due  de  Bassano,  was  one  of  Napoleon  I's 
ministers,  and  had  apartments  at  the  court,  so  as 
a  child  the  Duke  was  often  in  a  position  to  see  his 
godfather  and  godmother,  Napoleon  and  Jo- 
sephine, and  later  on  the  little  Roi  de  Rome,  who 
indeed  became  his  constant  playfellow.     He  told 

272 


MEMORIAL  TO  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL  ON  CHISLEHURST 

COMMON 

From  a  drawing  by  B.  B.  Long 


LATER  EVENTS 

me  of  the  great  awe  with  which  Napoleon  in- 
spired him  even  as  a  very  young  child,  though 
the  stern  soldier-emperor  was  always  kindness 
and  tenderness  itself  to  this  little  fellow,  and  all 
children. 

One  day  in  the  midst  of  a  very  amusing  game 
that  the  two  boys  were  playing  in  the  Emperor's 
room,  his  footsteps  were  unexpectedly  heard  ap- 
proaching. The  little  Roi  de  Rome  got  an  af- 
fectionate greeting  from  his  father,  and  then  ran 
away  elsewhere,  forgetting  his  playmate.  Bas- 
sano  was  so  startled  that  he  darted  instinctively 
behind  a  curtain  and  hid.  The  Emperor,  who 
had  forgotten  something,  came  in  and  began  to 
write,  and  was  so  deep  in  his  work  that  several 
hours  passed  before  he  finished  and  went  away 
again.  Every  minute  the  little  boy  stayed  hid- 
den it  became  more  difficult  for  him  to  make  up 
his  mind  to  come  out,  so  he  finally  resigned  him- 
self to  indefinite  imprisonment  behind  his  cur- 
tain, much  dreading  that  the  Emperor  might 
come  to  the  window  it  covered  and  wondering 
what  he  could  say  for  himself  if  he  did.  After 
his  long  life,  eighty  odd  years,  the  Duke  said  he 
remembered  now  perfectly  his  infinite  relief  when 
Napoleon  finally  departed  and  he  crept  out  of 
his  hiding  place. 

The  Duke  also  told  me  about  Queen  Victoria's 
coronation  (1837),  at  which  he  was  present  as  a 

273 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

young  attache  of  the  French  embassy  in  London. 
He  described  the  entrance  of  this  young  girl  in 
a  simple  white  dress  into  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  the  unforgettable  impression  made  on  him 
by  the  glitter  of  uniforms  and  the  dazzling  gor- 
geousness  of  the  jewels  and  the  coronets  of  the 
peeresses  and  the  court. 

The  Duke  also  remembered  well  riding  (with 
one  of  the  Bonapartes)  in  the  steam  coach  in- 
vented and  run  by  my  grandfather,  Colonel  Ma- 
cirone,  in  the  New  Road  (now  Marylebone 
Road),  till  an  act  of  Parliament  at  a  great  mone- 
tary loss  to  the  inventor  put  a  stop  to  it,  on  a  plea 
of  its  frightening  the  horses. 

Saturday,  October  9.  H.  arrived  at  11 
o'clock.  We  showed  her  the  state  carriages  be- 
fore lunch  and  afterward  went  for  a  drive  all 
through  Aldershot,  both  North  and  South 
Camps.  She  left  at  7 :27,  having  very  much  en- 
joyed her  day  and  the  Empress's  kindness. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  12,  1886. 
A  few  visitors  are  beginning  to  arrive  here 
again,  Mrs.  Edmund  Vaughan  yesterday  after- 
noon, M.  Urbain  Chevreau  today,  and  Mme. 
de  Arcos  on  Thursday  next — a  change  from  the 

274. 


LATER  EVENTS 

monotony,  which  was  beginning  to  pall.  Yes- 
terday we  had  some  people  to  lunch:  Prince 
Roland  Bonaparte  and  his  aid-de-camp,  Mr. 
Bonot.  Prince  Roland  is  a  grandson  of  Napo- 
leon I's  brother,  Lucien.  Today  old  Prince 
Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte,  who  lives  in  London, 
is  coming  to  lunch.  I  have  seen  him  already 
here  once  before.  He  is  uncle  to  Roland,  who 
came  yesterday.  Now  I  must  say  goodby.  I 
hear  the  Empress  going  into  her  salon  de  travail 
and  I  must  follow  her.  I  am  sorry  H.  did  not 
see  the  embroidery ;  it  is  like  a  most  lovely  paint- 
ing of  flowers,  and  it  will  certainly  go  down  to 
posterity  with  honor. 

Wednesday,  October  13.  After  dinner  the 
Empress,  under  much  protest,  took  the  very  first 
lesson  of  her  life  in  whist;  she  had  strenuously 
resisted  learning,  she  said,  till  then,  but  was  urged 
to  try  by  Mrs.  Vaughan  who  taught  us.  It  was 
my  first  lesson,  too.  The  Empress  played  with 
the  Due  de  Bassano  against  Mrs.  Vaughan  and 
myself. 

Thursday,  October  14.  Went  for  a  drive  with 
Mme.  Le  Breton,  Mrs.  Vaughan  and  the  Due 
de  Bassano ;  M.  Chevreau  following  alone  in  the 
dogcart,  driving  Umgenie. 

Before  his  arrival  the  Empress  spoke  a  good 
275 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

deal  about  Urbain  Chevreau's  father,  who  was 
Ministre  d'Interieur,  the  last  minister  under  the 
Empire  appointed  by  her.  Among  many  other 
schemes,  which  interested  her  in  behalf  of  her 
different  subjects,  the  Empress  took  special 
thought  about  a  project  for  shortening,  and 
thereby  softening,  the  ceremonial  preceding  the 
execution  of  criminals.  It  was  arranged  that 
they  should  enter  by  a  door  nearer  the  scaffold, 
should  wear  no  strait- jacket,  and  that  their  hair 
should  be  cut  off  beforehand  in  the  prison.  M. 
Chevreau  and  she  worked  together  over  these  and 
other  reforms  for  a  long  time.  One  day  the  Min- 
ister came  to  announce  that  all  was  settled  and 
in  working  order.  The  Empress  expressed  her 
pleasure  to  him,  and  as  he  was  leaving  her  pres- 
ence she  said,  "Eh  bien,  c'est  une  bonne  affaire 
de  faite; — qui  sait  si  nous  n'en  profiterons  pas 
nous  aussi.  Peutetre  aurons  nous  un  jour  a  nous 
feliciter  personellement  de  ce  travail."  *  M.  Ur- 
bain Chevreau  is  a  frequent  visitor  at  Monza, 
the  country  place  of  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Italy,  just  outside  Milan.  He  told  us  a  good 
deal  about  Queen  Margharita  one  evening;  how 
charming  she  is,  both  in  public  and  private 
life,  and  especially  the  latter;  how  bright  and 

i "  Ah  well  this  is  a  good  thing  achieved, —  who  knows  if  we  will 
not  profit  by  it  ourselves  some  day.  Perhaps  we  shall  some  day 
personally  rejoice  over  this  day's  work!" 

276 


LATER  EVENTS 

interesting  her  conversation,  as  she  sits  of  an  eve- 
ning knitting  warm  things  for  some  of  her  poor 
subjects,  all  of  whom  worship  her. 

Friday,  October  15.  Blowing  a  heavy  gale 
of  wind  and  rain  ever  since  last  night.  No  pos- 
sibility of  our  going  out,  but  in  spite  of  it  all 
arrived  Mme.  la  Marquise  de  Gallifet,  who  had 
arranged  to  come  and  make  a  call  on  her  former 
sovereign.  The  Empress  had  not  seen  her  for 
a  good  many  years  and  was  painfully  impressed 
by  the  change  which  had  taken  place  in  this  once 
beautiful  woman,  who  is  now  through  illness,  con- 
tracted during  her  devoted  nursing  of  cholera 
and  other  patients,  more  than  plain  of  feature 
though  she  still  retains  her  distinguished  air. 

Saturday,  October  16.  At  1  p.  m.  Stag,  the 
Prince  Imperial's  favorite  horse,  over  thirty  years 
old,  died.  Uhlmann,  who  came  in  to  inform 
his  mistress,  had  tears  in  his  eyes.  This  brought 
back  many  sad  memories  of  course.  The  Em- 
press gave  orders  to  have  one  of  Stag's  hoofs 
kept  and  made  into  an  inkstand.  The  faithful 
beast  had  been  with  the  Prince  Imperial  in  Zulu- 
land,  and  took  part  in  the  funeral  procession  at 
Chislehurst  when,  draped  with  a  black  net,  he 
followed  his  master's  body  from  the  station  to 
its  temporary  resting  place  in  the  little  Catholic 

277 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

church.  Everybody  who  saw  the  poor  horse, 
said  he  really  seemed  to  understand  that  some- 
thing sad  was  going  on. 

The  day  of  the  Prince  Imperial's  funeral  Lon- 
don seemed  empty.  Some  thirty  or  forty  thou- 
sand sympathizing  people  had  gone  to  Chisle- 
hurst  from  the  metropolis,  and  reports  later  said 
that  a  number  of  French  had  assisted  at  the  inter- 
ment, besides  many  thousands  of  people  of  other 
nationalities.  The  Queen  immediately  came  to 
Camden  Place  and  stayed  with  her  bereaved 
friend  during  those  sad  hours,  when  the  poor 
mother's  grief  was  so  great  and  uncontrollable 
that  as  I  have  heard  here  from  her  entourage, 
she  repeatedly  swooned  away  and  was  hardly  con- 
scious of  what  was  happening  during  that  day. 

It  had  been  the  faithful  Due  de  Bassano  who, 
when  the  fatal  news  reached  England  some  weeks 
before,  had  had  to  break  it  to  her.  He  told  me 
in  speaking  of  this,  one  day,  that  it  was  the  very 
hardest  task  he  had  ever  had  to  accomplish  in  his 
life.  She  had  only  that  day  received  one  of  the 
Prince's  many  cheerful  letters, — and  she  would 
not,  could  not  understand  or  believe  he  was  dead. 
Only  the  Duke's  great  love  of  the  dead  boy,  and 
his  devotion  to  the  stricken  mother,  helped  him 
through  the  ordeal. 

At  4  p.  m.  the  Due  de  Bassano  left  for  France, 
and  at  six  Mme.  de  Arcos  arrived  on  a  visit. 

278 


LATER  EVENTS 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  17,  1886. 

We  are  just  home  from  the  camp  church,  and 
so  before  lunch  I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  in 
case  I  should  be  prevented  later  in  the  afternoon, 
for  if  you  do  not  hear  from  me  early  tomorrow 
you  will  be  disappointed,  especially  as  I  was  un- 
able yesterday  to  let  you  have  your  usual  Satur- 
day evening  letter.  This  is  the  reason :  Before 
I  was  dressed  yesterday  Mme.  Pelletier  came  up 
to  my  room  to  say  that  as  soon  as  I  was  ready  the 
Empress  begged  me  to  go  down  to  her  salon  de 
travail.  This  I  did,  and  I  remained  the  whole 
day  with  Her  Majesty,  helping  her  in  her  annual 
clearing  up  of  old  papers.  You  have  no  idea  of 
the  quantity  of  documents,  letters  and  pamphlets 
which  came  out  of  the  drawers  of  her  desk,  and 
which,  after  putting  aside  those  to  be  saved,  I 
burned  for  her  (the  Empress  allows  nothing  to 
go  into  the  waste-paper  basket  for  housemaids' 
perusal).  After  luncheon  we  finished  with  the 
papers,  and  then  I  went  with  the  Empress  into 
the  inner  room, — she  calls  it  her  cabinet  de  tra- 
vail,— and  to  my  astonishment  saw  her  touch  a 
spring  in  the  side  of  a  huge  looking-glass  reach- 
ing from  floor  to  ceiling.  It  slowly  revolved 
back  on  hinges  like  a  door,  showing  behind  it  a 
huge  iron  safe.    A  small  key  from  the  Empress's 

279 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

pocket  opened  this,  and  revealed  a  number  of 
drawers  on  one  side  and  pigeonholes  on  the  other, 
dividing  the  safe  down  the  middle,  the  compart- 
ments bearing  a  letter  of  the  alphabet,  or  the 
names  of  bankers,  Spanish  estates,  etc.  Here 
the  appropriate  letters,  papers  and  documents  of 
all  kinds  are  arranged  in  packets  and  labeled  al- 
phabetically for  greater  convenience.  Each  of 
these  drawers  was  opened  in  turn,  the  packets 
carefully  looked  through,  and  the  papers  of  value 
accumulated  this  year  were  put  in  their  proper 
places.  Letters  from  sovereigns  she  has  kept 
separately  in  a  special  leather  case  of  her  own 
invention.  "N"  and  "I"  contained  by  far  the 
largest  bundles,  for  included  under  "N"  were  all 
sorts  of  things  concerning  Napoleon  I  and  III, 
and  under  "I"  interesting  material  relating  to 
the  Prince  Imperial.  The  Empress  showed  me 
several  newspaper  cuttings  about  his  death. 
Some  were  very  beautiful  and  touching,  but  the 
majority  (nearly  all  from  French  newspapers) 
most  cruel  and  cowardly  libels  on  the  brave  young 
Prince.  I  could  not  have  kept  such  horrid  things 
if  I  had  been  the  Empress  and  I  told  her  so,  but 
she  seemed  to  think  it  a  necessity.  I  also  saw 
letters  from  MacMahon  and  others;  and  written 
out  with  her  own  hand  some  copies  of  political 
letters  she  had  penned  in  times  gone  by.  Also 
the  list  of  invitations  to  and  the  order  of  cere- 

280 


LATER  EVENTS 

monial  of  the  Prince's  baptism,  besides  a  list  of 
his  layette  and  many  other  interesting  things. 
The  Empress  had  all  these  and  other  priceless 
documents  of  the  Tuileries  sent  on  board  a  ship 
of  the  squadron  for  safety,  as  soon  as  things 
seemed  to  be  going  badly  in  the  Franco-Prussian 
War,  and  the  future  loomed  up  ominously. 

She  let  me  read  many  letters  from  different 
people  (who  afterward  turned  against  her  and 
betrayed  their  trust)  expressing  the  writers'  de- 
votion and  eternal  gratitude.  Of  this  nature 
were  letters  from  Bazaine  and  Trochu,  and  the 
Empress  said  they  would  be  mortally  ashamed 
if  these  were  made  known,  and  she  added,  "Peo- 
ple would  be  very  much  embarrassed  in  the  light 
of  subsequent  events,  if  I  were  to  bring  out  these 
papers  and  confront  the  writers  with  their  own 
words  now."  She  said,  too,  that  her  experience 
had  been  such  that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  she 
did  not  believe  in  or  even  tolerate  the  word  "grat- 
itude." It  angers  her,  it  is  usually  so  false.  She 
believes  there  is  very  little, — hardly  any  such 
thing  as  genuine  self-sacrificing  gratitude  left  in 
the  world. 

I  was  given  to  read  some  very  queer  letters 
from  crazy  people.  These  last  were  not  among 
the  papers  preserved,  but  among  the  class  of 
daily  letters,  which  are  usually  destroyed  as  soon 
as  answered  or  attended  to.     Out  of  one  from 

281 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

America  came  a  large  lock  of  black  hair,  labeled 
"from  your  son  by  the  Comte  de  Chambord." 
The  letter  said,  "I  am  writing  to  papa  by  the 
same  post,"  and  ended  by  begging  money  to  come 
over  to  see  her.  Another  claimant  writes  every 
week,  "Chere  Mademoiselle :  I  will  meet  you  at 
Charing  Cross  at  the  train  to  arrange  about  our 
marriage."  The  writer  continues  that  he  thinks 
it  better  to  write  to  the  Pope  or  perhaps  the 
Prince  of  Wales  to  arrange  matters  and  signs  it 
"Roger  Doughty  Tichborne."  His  latest  epistle 
of  six  pages  ends  as  follows:  "I  need  only  say, 
Mademoiselle,  that  I  am  ready  to  marry  you  any 
day  or  at  any  hour.  You  have  only  to  write 
when,  for  we  ought  to  have  been  married  twenty 
years  ago.  F.  P.  D.  G.  L.  Roger  Doughty 
Tichborne." 

A  number  of  begging  letters,  too,  were  de- 
stroyed by  us.  H.  I.  M.  said  people  behaved 
just  like  vultures,  swooping  down  on  her  during 
the  first  month  after  the  Prince  Imperial's  death. 
She  had  the  letters  put  aside  at  the  time  and 
alphabetically  arranged,  and  on  examination 
found  that  she  had  been  asked  for  more  than  a 
million  francs  in  those  four  weeks. 

Here  are  two  examples  of  the  extraordinary 
addresses  on  some  of  the  letters  doomed  to  the 
flames:  A  Sa  Majeste  VImperatrice  Eugenie, 
London  Bridge,  Museum,  Angleterre;  A  Vex- 

282 


LATER  EVENTS 

Imperatrice,  a  Montengo,  Chist-le-Rousse  (Chi- 
slehurst),  Angleterre. 

I  would  not  have  missed  my  interesting  day's 
work  for  anything,  though  it  certainly  was  tire- 
some sitting  all  day,  steadily  tearing  up  and 
burning  papers  handed  to  me,  especially  as  the 
Empress  hardly  spoke  at  all ;  she  is  obliged  with 
her  bad  cold  to  be  as  silent  as  possible  to  avoid 
bringing  on  a  fit  of  coughing. 

Monday,  October  18.  All  morning  again  ar- 
ranging papers  with  the  Empress.  Dr.  Scott 
dropped  in  at  afternoon  tea  time.  Dr.  Chepmell 
came  to  make  the  Empress  a  professional  visit 
and  dined  here,  leaving  by  a  ten  o'clock  train.  I 
was  shown  today  a  letter  from  Paul  de  Cassag- 
nac.  Talking  afterward  of  his  officious  devotion, 
the  Empress  said,  "Son  devoument  est  une  vraie 
affliction  et  ne  vaut  pas  grand  chose  [His  devo- 
tion is  a  veritable  infliction  and  is  not  worth 
much]."  Writing  from  Germany  in  1870,  he 
had  said  of  Napoleon  III  and  the  Prince  Im- 
perial: "Nous  ne  voulons  ni  d'un  vieillard  ni 
d'un  enfant  [We  will  have  neither  an  old  man  nor 
a  child]." 

In  the  evening  and  under  the  influence  of  the 
letters  read  during  the  day,  ingratitude  became 
the  topic  uppermost.  We  were  told  incidentally 
that  Don  Meurice  de  Bourbon  wanted  to  marry 

283 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Empress  when  she  was  a  girl,  and  then  the 
real  ingratitude  of  the  Duke  of  S.  was  brought  to 
our  notice.  Both  he  and  his  brother  were  paid 
for  at  college  by  the  Emperor,  and  spent  their 
holidays  at  the  Tuileries.  "Apres  les  evenements 
il  n'a  jamais  dit  un  seul  mot  de  sympathie,  et  il 
ne  s'est  meme  pas  fait  inscrire  a  Madrid." x 
Lately  he  has  had  the  audacity  after  first  sending 
a  visiting  card,  to  write  and  ask  the  Empress  for 
money.     The  letter  was  not  answered. 

Here  is  another  instance  of  ingratitude.  The 
Emperor  and  Empress  once  visited  incognito  the 
booths  at  the  Foire  de  St.  Cloud,  and  next  day 
sent  one  hundred  francs  to  each  of  the  itinerant 
performers.  One  was  unintentionally  forgotten, 
so  H.  I.  M.  sent  a  gentleman  back  the  follow- 
ing day  with  the  extra  money.  The  recipient 
was  the  geant  of  the  Foire,  a  fine  big  fellow,  the 
son  of  a  gentleman  of  the  court  of  Charles  X, 
who  had  had  reverses  of  fortune  and  was  penni- 
less. The  Empress  when  she  heard  the  story 
bought  him  out  for  the  remainder  of  his  two 
years'  engagement,  clothed  him  and  gave  him  an 
appointment  at  her  court.  She  has  never  had  a 
single  word  from  him  since  1870. 

i "  He  has  never  said  a  single  word  of  sympathy  since  the  event, 
and  he  did  not  even  have  his  name  written  down  in  Madrid," —  that 
is,  in  the  book  provided  at  a  royal  court  or  an  embassy  for  the 
entering  of  names  of  formal  callers  who  come  to  express  sympathy 
or  offer  congratulations;  the  equivalent  of  a  call  in  private  life. 

284 


LATER  EVENTS 

Then  the  Empress  told  us  of  the  strong  at- 
tachment of  a  little  girl  for  the  Emperor  and  her- 
self at  Biarritz.  The  child  was  taken  ill  with 
diphtheria  and  would  accept  no  remedies  from 
anybody  but  the  Empress,  in  whom  she  had  great 
confidence.  The  sovereign  nursed  the  child 
through  the  crisis  of  her  sickness  and  operation, 
and  she  recovered.  No  expressions  of  gratitude 
were  sufficient  for  the  father, — he  would  never  in 
his  life  forget  her  devotion,  he  said.  Neverthe- 
less in  1870  he  unmercifully  abused  the  Imperial 
party,  and,  added  the  Empress,  "A  la  mort  de 
mon  ills,  il  a  eu  la  cruaute  de  dire, — 'C'est  bien 
fait'  [At  my  son's  death  he  had  the  cruelty  to 
say, — 'It  is  well  done']  1" 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  19,  1886. 
All  day  yesterday  I  spent  with  the  Empress 
arranging  and  classifying  more  papers.  This 
time  they  were  mostly  letters  of  condolence  re- 
ceived after  the  Prince  Imperial's  death,  besides 
poems,  elegies,  books  and  consolatory  pamphlets 
of  all  sorts,  received  at  the  same  time.  There  is 
another  large  safe  in  the  upper  gallery  near  the 
Empress's  bedroom,  and  into  this  the  more  bulky 
and  less  precious  documents  are  all  put  alphabet- 
ically like  the  others  downstairs.     I  should  say 

285 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

there  must  be  thousands  of  them  in  the  pigeon 
holes.  The  poor  Empress  arranged  them  all 
with  seeming  indifference,  but  at  the  last  when 
Mme.  Le  Breton  was  passing  by  and  remarked 
that  she  looked  tired  and  pale,  and  begged  her 
to  leave  off,  she  broke  down  completely,  put  her 
elbows  on  the  flat  glass  cabinet  before  her  and 
burst  out  crying.     Poor  thing! 

In  looking  through  the  documents  this  morn- 
ing, we  came  across  one  relating  to  the  Chateau 
de  Marseilles,  and  this  is  what  was  told  about  it 
by  H.  I.  M.  The  town  gave  the  site  and  the 
Emperor  built  the  residence  himself.  After  the 
Emperor's  death  in  1873,  Marseilles  requested 
citoyenne  Bonaparte  to  give  it  back,  saying  that 
it  was  not  inhabited  as  it  ought  to  have  been  ac- 
cording to  agreement.  Asked  for  it  in  this  per- 
emptory way,  the  citoyenne  refused  to  give  it 
up  and  a  lawsuit  followed  which  the  Empress 
gained.  Having  won,  she  then  handed  the  cha- 
teau immediately  over  to  the  town  as  a  gift  from 
Marie  Eugenie  Guzman,  veuve  de  VEmpereur 
Napoleon  III,  and  stipulated  that  it  was  to  be 
used  as  a  hospital.  The  gift  was  rejected,  but 
soon  after  cholera  broke  out  and  then  the  civil 
authorities  were  glad  enough  to  accept  the  cha- 
teau. The  Empress  added  that  her  partisans 
were  as  angry  with  her  for  doing  this  as  the 
Due  d'Aumale's  now  are  at  the  gift  of  "Chan- 

286 


LATER  EVENTS 

tilly"  to  his  country,  which  has  since  exiled  him. 
Tuesday,  October  19.  My  first  real  walk  since 
my  accident, — from  three  to  four  p.  m.  Went  as 
far  as  the  Memorial  Chapel,  which  is  advancing 
rapidly  and  is  almost  finished. 

Wednesday,  October  20.  No  message  has 
come  to  my  room  as  yet,  so  I  suppose  the  Em- 
press does  n't  intend  doing  any  more  till  the  aft- 
ernoon or  tomorrow.  I  wrote  to  Princess  Eu- 
genie yesterday  and  hope  soon  to  hear  from  her. 

Mrs.  Vaughan  leaves  today,  and  Mme.  de 
Arcos  (or  Zizi,  as  the  Empress  always  calls  her) 
remains  till  next  week.  Count  Minszech,  an 
Austrian,  who  came  here  once  before  in  the  sum- 
mer and  who  divides  his  life  between  Paris, 
Vienna  and  England,  is  coming  to  lunch  to- 
morrow. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  21,  1886. 
I  cannot  say  much  about  the  Turkish  ambas- 
sador, Rustem  Pasha,  for  he  did  not  come  to 
lunch  after  all,  but  only  to  pay  his  respects  to 
the  Empress  in  the  afternoon,  and  on  arriving 
was  received  at  once  in  her  private  apartments. 
Mme.  Le  Breton  and  I  only  saw  him  passing 
down  the  gallery  on  his  way  to  and  from  the 
carriage.     He  is  a  small  sallow  man,  wearing  a 

287 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

fez  of  course.  The  Empress  told  us  he  had  years 
ago  become  a  Christian  and  was  at  one  time  Gov- 
ernor of  Syria.  She  made  his  acquaintance  on 
a  visit  to  Constantinople,  which  preceded  the 
opening  of  the  Suez  Canal.  She  is  charmed  with 
him  now,  says  he  is  full  of  intelligence,  and  had 
a  most  interesting  conversation  with  him,  about 
affairs  in  the  East.  Among  other  things,  he 
said  that  formerly  it  was  the  French  and  the 
English  merchants  who  divided  trade  between 
them, — now  the  Germans  have  the  principal  busi- 
ness. They  first  tempted  the  natives  by  cheap- 
ness, under-bidding  other  nationalities,  and  have 
now  become  the  leading  dealers. 

During  our  walk  after  dinner  and  following 
our  talk  about  Rustem  Pasha,  our  hostess  gave 
us  a  whole  string  of  Eastern  experiences,  one 
after  the  other,  and  here  are  the  notes  I  made  be- 
fore going  to  bed,  and  which  I  have  just  filled 
out  as  such,  adding  only  a  word  here  and  there 
to  make  the  narrative  intelligible : 

First  she  told  us  about  the  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal.  The  Empress  went  alone  to  the 
opening  of  this  important  waterway.  Affairs  in 
France  being  in  an  unsettled  state,  the  sovereigns 
did  not  both  dare  to  absent  themselves  together 
for  any  length  of  time,  so  it  was  decided  that  the 
Empress  should  be  the  one  to  go.  All  the  fleets 
of  Europe  were  represented,  and  among  the  sov- 

288 


THE  EMPRESS,  ABOUT  1870 


LATER  EVENTS 

ereigns  there  were  present  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  the  Prince 
and  Princess  of  the  Netherlands.  The  roar  of 
cannon  was  deafening.  In  recognition  of  the  gi- 
gantic engineering  feat  having  been  undertaken 
and  carried  through  by  a  French  engineer  and 
under  French  auspices,  the  Empress  was  given 
precedence  everywhere.  All  the  royalties  came 
and  paid  visits  to  the  Empress  on  her  yacht, 
UAigle,  which  led  the  procession  of  yachts,  and 
was  the  first  to  enter  and  go  through  the  Suez 
Canal. 

This  is  the  telegram  the  Empress  told  us  she 
sent  to  the  Emperor  on  arriving,  November  17, 
1869:  "Arrivee  a  Port  Said — reception  ma- 
gique — la  chose  la  plus  magnifique  que  j'ai 
jamais  vue  [Arrived  at  Port  Said — a  magical 
reception — the  most  magnificent  thing  I  have 
ever  witnessed]."  After  the  opening  of  the 
canal,  a  regular  triumphal  program  commenced 
and  all  the  following  things  happened  during  this 
wonderful  and  delightful  trip : 

For  the  opening  religious  ceremonies,  a  mag- 
nificent tribune  was  erected,  where  the  sovereigns 
sat.  One  side  was  devoted  to  the  Catholic  serv- 
ices of  thanksgiving,  and  the  other  to  the  Moham- 
medan ceremony  of  the  same,  and  the  whole  was 
very  solemn.  A  splendid  ball  was  given  next 
night  at  Ismailia.     The  Empress  of  the  French 

289 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

presided  at  the  supper;  she  was  seated  between 
Emperor  Francis  Joseph  I  and  the  Crown  Prince 
of  Prussia.  The  Khedive  Ismael  Pasha  sat  op- 
posite. During  the  supper  the  Khedive  sud- 
denly left  the  party,  locking  the  sovereigns  and 
their  suites  in  the  banquet  room.  All  won- 
dered what  was  happening,  and  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  went  to  reconnoiter.  He  discovered  that 
the  Khedive  was  uneasy  about  his  guests.  M.  de 
Lesseps  had  brought  in  such  a  number  of  reds, 
the  Empress  said,  that  Ismael  feared  there  might 
be  an  outbreak  or  some  attempt  on  their  lives. 
After  supper  all  the  sovereigns  went  to  the  pub- 
lic ball-room  to  look  on  at  the  multitude  of  merry- 
makers. It  was  very  amusing.  The  Republi- 
cans were  all  dancing  with  their  f  ezzes  on  in  that 
fearful  heat,  because  they  would  not  uncover 
themselves  before  royalty  for  anything.  So  they 
danced  on  in  a  fearful  state,  like  a  Turkish  bath, 
the  perspiration  pouring  down  their  faces,  while 
royalty  looked  on  and  enjoyed  their  unnecessary 
discomfiture. 

The  party  arrived  next  day  at  the  town  of 
Suez,  and  the  Empress,  the  other  sovereigns  and 
their  suites,  signed  their  names  to  an  entry  in  the 
yacht's  log-book,  which  stated  that  the  journey 
through  the  Suez  Canal  had  been  actually  and 
successfully  achieved. 

The  Empress  then  told  us  about  the  Khedive's 
290 


LATER  EVENTS 

wonderful  munificence,  and  the  number  of  boats 
on  the  Nile  put  at  their  disposal  for  the  journey 
with  her  numerous  suite.  The  Empress  had  a 
good  sized  sitting-room  for  herself  and  her  nieces 
in  one  dahabeah ;  there  was  a  dining-room  in  an- 
other. One  was  exclusively  taken  up  by  a  laun- 
dry for  themselves  and  suite.  Another  was  filled 
with  preserves  and  stores  of  all  kinds.  Still 
others  contained  live  cattle  and  poultry  and  stores 
of  vegetables  and  fruit.  Perishable  food  was 
preserved  in  ice  and  the  whole  party  had  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  this,  as  of  all  else  through  the  en- 
tire journey.  A  dahabeah  was  also  the  traveling 
home  of  the  camels  and  mules,  and  the  tents  and 
baggage,  for  excursions  into  the  desert.  There 
were  numbers  of  other  boats  to  supply  minor 
wants  of  the  numerous  suite  and  the  servants,  and 
one  exclusively  reserved  for  a  barber's  shop.  A 
relay  of  dahabeahs  was  left  behind  at  each  of  the 
three  cataracts  and  a  fresh  relay  as  fully 
equipped  found  ready.  It  was,  the  Empress 
said,  exactly  like  one  of  the  Arabian  Nights' 
fairy  tales,  and  the  whole  of  this  outlay  was  at 
the  Khedive's  expense. 

The  same  evening,  the  Empress  told  us  about 
her  cousin  de  Lesseps.  She  described  at  some 
length  his  tremendous  imagination  and  indomi- 
table energy,  his  life  in  Paris  and  his  great  prodi- 
gality    and     open-hearted     hospitality.     Their 

291 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

house,  she  said,  must  have  been  a  very  difficult 
one  to  run,  for  he  sometimes  came  home  of  an 
evening  bringing  in  his  wake  and  unannounced 
a  collection  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  friends  with 
him,  picked  up  in  odd  corners  at  different  inter- 
vals in  the  day,  and  invited  with  the  greatest  cor- 
diality. His  wife  was  often  at  her  wits'  end, 
but  had  to  do  the  best  she  could.  Their  children 
were  well  known  in  Paris  for  the  way  they  rode 
their  ponies  in  a  furious  wild  Indian  fashion 
through  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  Mme.  de  Les- 
seps  told  the  Empress  that  she  had  first  fallen 
in  love  with  her  husband  through  her  great  admi- 
ration for  his  genius, — a  genius  which  would 
probably  have  saved  her  mother's  life  if  his  chef 
d'oeuvre,  the  Suez  Canal,  had  existed  sooner.  It 
seems  that  as  her  mother  was  returning  from  a 
visit  to  some  island,  she  was  so  terribly  seasick 
that  she  had  to  be  carried  ashore  at  the  Cape, 
and  died  there  of  exhaustion  soon  after.  Had 
the  journey  been  shortened,  as  it  could  have  been 
by  the  existence  of  the  Suez  Canal,  the  fatality 
to  her  mother  might  not  have  occurred. 

The  Empress  told  us  about  her  interesting  visit 
to  the  harem  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  Abdul- 
Aziz,  during  this  royal  progress  through  the  East. 
The  women,  she  said,  were  tres  ordinaires,  in 
spite  of  their  very  lovely  eyes,  and  were  entirely 
without  education.     They  did  nothing  all  day 

292 


LATER  EVENTS 

long  and  lived  almost  entirely  on  bonbons.  They 
had  absolutely  no  privacy,  no  sleeping-rooms  of 
their  own,  but  reclined  on  their  divans  day  and 
night  and  held  the  position  of  slaves.  Only  the 
mother  of  a  male  child  was  honored  and  treated 
as  a  wife  of  the  Sultan. 

She  also  told  us  about  the  return  visit  of  the 
Sultan's  women  to  her,  a  most  extraordinary  in- 
novation to  rule  and  a  wonderful  event  for  them. 
They  had  never  before  been  outside  of  their 
harem,  till  they  were  taken  to  Beylerbey  Palace 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Bosporus,  put  at  the  Em- 
press's disposal  by  the  Sultan.  Before  they  were 
allowed  to  go,  however,  an  attendant  was  sent 
by  the  Sultan  to  visit  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  palace,  to  see  that  no  man  was  anywhere  con- 
cealed. All  the  gentlemen  of  the  Empress's  suite 
and  her  men-servants  had  been  previously  obliged 
to  leave  the  premises  and  go  and  wait  aboard  the 
imperial  yacht.  By  some  oversight  the  Em- 
press's small  negro  page,  Mustapha,  given  the 
Empress  by  some  barbaric  ruler,  was  forgotten. 
He  was  her  personal  attendant,  and  had  in  the 
eyes  of  many  much  the  position  of  a  pet  dog, 
so  that  in  making  a  list  of  the  men  to  be  ousted 
he  was  not  remembered.  The  harem  women  ar- 
rived like  a  buzzing  swarm  of  bees, — thirty  or 
forty  of  them.  They  poured  in  with  unman- 
nered  haste,  so  delighted  with  their  new  found 

293 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

liberty  that  they  ransacked  every  corner  and 
turned  everything  topsy-turvy  to  examine  it, 
even  spilling  her  work  basket  and  trying  on  her 
thimble.  The  Empress  began  to  fear  for  her 
jewels  when  she  saw  their  utter  lack  of  control. 
At  last,  in  the  course  of  their  investigation,  the 
ladies  of  the  harem  came  accidentally  upon  Mus- 
tapha,  hidden  away  in  a  corner  behind  a  door. 
Great  astonishment  and  pretended  horror  on 
their  part, — mingled  with  wonderful  curiosity 
and  excitement  at  the  extraordinary  event.  The 
poor  page's  fright  was  terrible  and  genuine.  He 
feared  the  Sultan's  knowing  that  he  had  seen  his 
wives,  for  he  knew  the  usual  penalty  of  such  au- 
dacity was  death.  Nothing  the  Empress  or  any- 
body could  say  would  comfort  him  or  allay  his 
fears.  He  begged  so  insistently  and  piteously  to 
be  sent  immediately  on  board  JL'Aigle  for  safety, 
that  at  last  he  had  to  be  yielded  to. 

The  Empress  had  a  long  talk  with  two  of  the 
Sultan's  daughters ;  one  was  being  brought  up  in 
the  English  style  and  only  spoke  English.  She 
had  an  English  governess  and  spent  her  days 
riding  round  and  round  in  a  small  courtyard  of 
the  palace,  trying  to  be  what  she  imagined  Eng- 
lish girls  to  be  like.  The  other  daughter  was 
brought  up  as  a  French  girl  and  only  spoke 
French.  Her  attendants  were  French  and  all 
her  books  were  French.     The  Empress  took  up 

294 


LATER  EVENTS 

some  of  them  and  discovered  most  of  them  were 
by  Paul  de  Koch.  This  girl  said  in  course  of 
conversation:  "We  two  are  much  more  to  be 
pitied  than  the  other  daughters  of  the  Sultan, — 
they  do  not  know  their  loss,  but  the  Sultan  has 
by  education  opened  for  us  a  window  to  look  into 
the  outer  world,  which,  however,  is  denied  us, 
and  he  has  made  us  very  unhappy!  We  both 
hope  we  shall  be  allowed  to  marry  Christians, 
and  so  escape  from  this  terrible  existence." 

H.  I.  M.  ended  up  this  much  prolonged  talk 
about  the  Orient,  by  telling  us  of  a  very  strange 
experience  she  had  on  the  Bosporus.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  same  official  visit  to  Constantinople,  dur- 
ing which  she  was  the  guest  of  the  Sultan,  and 
being  entertained  with  princely  magnificence. 
The  Empress  described  her  costume  that  day,  and 
said  she  was  decked  out  in  all  her  most  gorgeous 
finery, — a  robe  of  scarlet  cashmere  embroidered 
with  gold, — and  she  wore  some  of  the  crown 
jewels,  among  others  a  diadem  having  in  the 
center  the  famous  "Regent"  (which  Napoleon 
had  bought  for  14,000,000  francs).  For  the 
first  time  on  record  the  Sultan  allowed  a 
woman  to  cross  the  Bosporus  in  his  private 
caique.  This  was  an  unheard-of  honor,  but  no 
honor  was  deemed  too  great  to  be  paid  to  his 
guest,  the  Empress  of  the  French.  She  was  be- 
ing rowed  by  six  splendid  caigi,  whose  beautiful 

295 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  strange  dress  of  diaphanous  materials  she 
described.  They  are  lightly  clad  because  they 
have  to  row  with  all  their  might.  The  boats  go 
like  the  wind,  and  never  under  any  consideration 
whatever  are  they  allowed  to  stop  an  instant. 
If  anything  gets  in  the  way,  they  run  it  down  as 
a  matter  of  course.  The  men  never  take  any  pre- 
cautions against  the  dreadful  heat  of  the  Bos- 
porus, and  get  alternately  so  overheated  and 
then  so  chilled,  that  nearly  all  ultimately  die  of 
consumption,  in  spite  of  being  such  magnificent 
men  and  having  such  splendid  physique  to  start 
with. 

Well,  the  Empress,  then,  was  in  this  caique, 
going  along  with  lightning  speed,  when  all  of  a 
sudden  she  saw,  right  across  their  bows,  a  small 
rowboat  with  one  man  in  it.  It  came  upon  her 
in  a  flash  that  in  a  few  seconds  more  he  would 
be  run  down.  She  knew  it  would  be  no  use  to 
beg  the  caigi  to  stop, — such  an  idea  would  be  un- 
heard of.  Even  if  she  had  they  could  not  have 
understood  her  language,  and  would  not  have 
obeyed  in  any  case  because  of  the  fearful  penalty 
this  breach  of  discipline  would  bring.  In  this 
terrible  moment,  the  Empress  said,  in  default 
of  all  else,  nature  came  to  her  assistance  and 
made  her  do  the  one  spontaneous  thing  which 
really  saved  the  man's  life.  A  little  shriek  of 
alarm  so  astonished  the  caigi,  that  for  an  instant 

296 


LATER  EVENTS 

they  turned  to  look  and  forgot  their  duty.  In 
that  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  man  in  the 
small  boat  had  time  to  swiftly  move  aside.  He 
then  stood  up  in  his  boat  and  waving  his  hat 
called  out  in  English,  "Long  live  the  Empress!" 
Amid  so  many  others  equally  thrilling  she  com- 
pletely forgot  this  incident.  It  never  crossed 
her  mind  again,  she  said,  till  driving  down  the 
rue  de  Rivoli  during  her  memorable  flight  from 
Paris,  Dr.  Evans  asked  her  if  she  remembered 
the  occurrence,  and  said,  "I  was  that  man !  Your 
Majesty  saved  my  life  once;  I  am  delighted  to 
be  of  some  service  in  my  turn."  The  Empress 
said  in  finishing  this  story,  "II  m'a  vue  aux  deux 
points  les  plus  opposes  de  ma  vie, — au  plus  haut ! 
— au  plus  bas  [He  saw  me  at  the  two  greatest 
extremes  of  my  life — at  the  highest  and  the  low- 
est] !"  Soon  after  the  various  events  in  the  East, 
the  Empress  was  summoned  home  rather  sud- 
denly for  the  opening  of  the  "Chambre." 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  21,  1886. 
The  Empress  had  a  letter  from  Princess  Bea- 
trice yesterday,  which  she  partly  read  to  us.  She 
was  writing  to  ask  the  Empress  "from  Mamma," 
to  postpone  her  departure  for  Italy  till  the 
Queen's  return  from  Balmoral,  which  will  be 

297 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

about  the  fifth  or  sixth  of  the  month,  as  the  Queen 
wishes  very  much  to  see  her  friend.  Of  course 
the  Empress  cannot  refuse  to  wait.  So  much 
the  better  for  me,  for  this  will  probably  lengthen 
my  stay  here.  The  Empress  says  she  cannot  go 
to  Windsor  till  at  least  the  seventh  or  eighth, 
and  she  will  probably  not  return  here  afterward. 
Princess  Beatrice  writes  that  Prince  Joseph  of 
Battenberg,  who,  with  the  Prince  of  Hesse  and 
his  daughter  Irene,  is  staying  with  them  at  Bal- 
moral, tells  them  most  interesting  and  terrible 
things  about  poor  Prince  Alexander's  treatment 
and  imprisonment  in  Bulgaria.  She  adds  that 
she  herself  will  be  very  glad  to  get  settled  down 
at  Windsor,  as  she  is  not  feeling  at  all  well.1 

The  gong  will  be  sounding  in  a  few  minutes, 
so  I  must  stop.  My  foot  still  swells  at  night  and 
will  for  a  long  time  to  come,  the  doctor  says,  but 
it  does  not  pain  me  in  the  least  now.  Yesterday 
we  walked  all  around  "Compiegne,"  a  part  of 
the  Farnborough  property  with  a  picturesque 
pond  in  it,  then  through  the  jardin  potager  where 
the  Napoleon  I  willows  grow,  and  back  through 
the  park. 

I  have  only  a  few  minutes  before  lunch  to 
write.  Dr.  Scott  is  invited,  and  later  the  Em- 
press is  likely  to  ask  me  to  help  again,  as  I  did 

i  Her  eldest  boy,  Alexander  Albert,  was  born  shortly  after  this. 

298 


LATER  EVENTS 

yesterday,  and  arrange  papers  with,  her  till  tea 
time,  after  which  conversation  is  prolonged 
sometimes  until  it  is  nearly  time  to  dress  for  din- 
ner, and  no  one  can  leave  the  room  till  the  Em- 
press does. 

I  had  a  charming  letter  from  Princess  Eu- 
genie Murat  yesterday;  she  and  her  father  are 
staying  with  the  Prince  de  Wagram,  his  father- 
in-law,  and  will  be  back  in  Paris  in  a  month. 

In  the  evening  at  the  usual  walking  and  talking 
time,  the  Empress  was  speaking  about  an  official 
journey  through  Brittany  in  August,  1858.  She 
told  us  how  very  tired  she  was  with  the  constant 
strain  of  speeches  and  people  being  presented, 
for  the  train  kept  continually  stopping.  At  a 
small  wayside  station  a  poor  little  dressed  up, 
frightened  child  was  popped  into  the  carriage 
with  an  enormous  bouquet.  The  Empress  in  her 
usual  affable  way,  trying  to  help  the  child,  asked 
her,  "Mon  enfant,  comment  te  nommes-tu?" 
General  Fleury,  who  was  always  fond  of  a  joke, 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  whispering 
behind  the  child,  "Dites:  J'ai  nom  Eliacin,"  * 
much  to  the  general  amusement  and  the  poor 
child's  confusion,  who  could  not  understand  what 
it  was  all  about. 

i  Celebrated  answer  in  Athali*. 


299 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  26,  1886. 

Monseigneur  Goddard  is  expected  to  lunch, 
so  I  must  begin  and  finish  my  letter  now,  as  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  do  so  afterwards.  I  spent 
yesterday  afternoon  in  London  with  the  Em- 
press, who  went  up  to  consult  Dr.  Chepmell. 
He  came  to  see  her  as  usual  at  Mme.  de  Arcos's 
house  in  Wilton  Crescent.  The  visit  over,  the 
Empress  went  to  several  shops  to  get  a  certain 
kind  of  portfolio  for  keeping  old  letters,  and  not 
succeeding,  finally  ordered  one  of  her  own  in- 
vention at  Jenner  &  Newstubbs.  We  then  drove 
back  to  the  station. 

Wednesday,  October  27.  Dull  day, — nothing 
happened, — but  there  was  a  most  interesting  con- 
versation after  tea,  the  Empress  telling  all  sorts 
of  anecdotes  about  Napoleon  I  and  her  own 
reminiscences.  "Napoleon  I  etait  un  vrai  genie; 
lui  seul  pouvait  tenir  tete  a  tant  d'esprits  reunis 
contre  lui."  *  She  was  remarking  how  strange 
it  was  that  some  of  her  family  in  the  past  should 
have  been  against  Napoleon  I.  In  one  of  Na- 
poleon's letters  (that  she  has  read)  he  writes  to 
his    brother    Joseph:     "Beware    of    Montijo. 

i "  Napoleon  I  was  a  real  genius ;  he  alone  had  the  capacity  to 
hold  good  against  so  many  minds  united  against  him." 

300 


LATER  EVENTS 

Keep  an  eye  on  him, — he  is  dangerous."  This 
Monti  jo  was  her  own  father's  brother.  He  has 
been  called  the  "Spanish  Mirabeau,"  was  an  in- 
veterate enemy  to  France,  and  a  revolutionary 
leader  at  home.  Eugenie's  father,  Don  Cip- 
riano  Guzman  de  Palafox  y  Portocarrero,  on  the 
contrary,  was  always  an  ardent  admirer  of  Na- 
poleon and  distinguished  himself  as  a  colonel  in 
his  army. 

The  Empress  had  found  among  her  Napo- 
leonic documents  a  letter  addressed  to  an  ances- 
tor of  the  present  Duke  of  Fernan  Nunez,  now 
her  relative  by  marriage.  The  letter  had  been 
intercepted  89  years  ago.  She  has  just  for- 
warded it  to  the  descendant  of  the  Duke  it  was 
originally  addressed  to.  H.  I.  M.  also  found 
one  day  in  the  Tuileries,  behind  a  looking-glass, 
a  piece  of  paper  which  proved  on  examination  to 
be  a  list  of  the  gardes  nationauos  who  entered  to 
sack  it  in  1830. 

Napoleon  I  when  a  young  man  about  to  leave 
l'Ecole  de  Brienne,  where  he  was  educated  at 
the  expense  of  the  French  king,  was  passing  the 
place  de  la  Greve  at  the  time  of  the  emeute  at 
the  Tuileries.  Napoleon's  first  movement  was 
to  draw  his  sword  and  go  to  the  defense  of  the 
king,  but  at  that  moment  Louis  XVI  appeared 
at  a  window  with  a  bonnet  Phrygien  on  his  head, 
and  the  young  Napoleon  was  so  disgusted  at  his 

301 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ill-judged  complaisancy  to  please  the  people, 
that  he  returned  his  sword  to  his  scabbard  and 
went  his  way. 

Here  is  an  instance  of  the  usual  good  luck * 
of  Napoleon  I :  He  was  himself  visiting  the  out- 
posts in  a  post  chaise  on  the  eve  of  a  battle.  Sud- 
denly the  postilion  stopped;  it  was  a  pitch  dark 
night,  a  fierce  storm  was  raging  and  the  fright- 
ened horses  were  prancing  madly,  and  had  be- 
come quite  unmanageable.  A  tremendous  flash 
of  lightning  showed  a  tree  fallen  across  the  road. 
But  for  this  object  the  post  chaise  would  have 
dashed  headlong  into  the  river,  as  the  bridge  a 
few  steps  farther  on  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
enemy. 

Here  is  an  instance  of  adverse  fate  when  his 
"star"  was  beginning  to  wane:  Once,  and  once 
only,  the  Emperor  departing  from  his  custom 
wrote  his  plans  to  the  Empress  Louise,  and  that 
time  the  courier  was  taken  prisoner  and  the  cor- 
respondence intercepted. 

Speaking  of  army  reserves,  the  Empress  said : 
"C'est  Stern,  Ministre  de  la  guerre,  1'homme  qui 
avait  le  plus  de  talent  en  Prusse  a  cette  epoque 
qui  imagina  le  systeme  d'armee  allemande  a  cause 
des  conditions  que  lui  avait  imposees  Napoleon 

i  Napoleon  III  had  this  same  belief  in  his  "  star  "  and  fate  that 
his  uncle  had. 

302 


LATER  EVENTS 

apres  la  bataille  de  Jena  (1806),  leur  permettant 
seulement  d'avoir  40,000  soldats."  * 

Here  is  a  mot  du  Premier  Consul  in  which  the 
lady  in  question  certainly  got  the  best  of  it: 
"Peu  de  temps  apres  la  Terreur,  il  dit  brusque- 
ment  un  jour  a  une  dame,  qui  s'exprimait  tres 
franchement  aux  Tuileriesi:  'Madame,  les 
femmes  ne  devraient  pas  s'occuper  de  politique.' 
— 'Dans  un  pays  ou  Ton  coupe  le  tete  aux 
femmes,  cela  doit  leur  etre  permis  de  savoir  au 
moins  pourquoi,'  repondit-elle."  2 

The  following  is  an  interesting  side  light  on  a 
debatable  historical  enigma.  The  Emperor 
when  helpless  from  long  and  depressing  illness 
and  fiercely  attacked  on  all  sides,  had  the  weak- 
ness, the  Empress  told  us,  to  own  to  responsibil- 
ity for  the  death  of  the  Due  d'Enghien.  She 
asserted,  though,  that  in  spite  of  this  there  were 
positive  proofs  to  her  mind  that  he  was  not  re- 
sponsible for  his  death,  that  the  accusation  was 
false,  and  that  several  historians  now  agree  with 
her.     She  has  read  a  letter  of  Joseph's  to  one  of 

i "  It  was  Stern,  Minister  of  War,  the  most  able  man  in  Prussia 
at  that  period,  who  evolved  the  German  army  system  through  the 
conditions  imposed  on  him  by  Napoleon  after  the  battle  of  Jena 
(1806),  allowing  them  to  have  only  40,000  soldiers." 

2  "  Soon  after  the  Reign  of  Terror  he  said  one  day  sharply  to  a 
lady,  who  was  expressing  herself  very  frankly  at  the  Tuileries, 
'  Madam,  women  ought  not  to  meddle  in  politics.' — '  In  a  country 
where  they  cut  women's  heads  off,  it  ought  to  be  permitted  them 
to  know  at  least  the  why  and  wherefore,'  she  responded." 

303 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

his  sisters,  telling  how  terribly  grieved  Napoleon 
had  been  about  it.  The  Empress  is  convinced 
the  death  was  brought  about  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  Napoleon.  The  Due  d'Enghien  had 
been  warned,  but  did  not  heed  the  warning  and 
was  seized  on  French  territory.  It  was  to  Tal- 
leyrand's interest  to  act  quickly.  He  had  him 
tried  late  at  night  on  his  own  responsibility,  and 
had  him  hurriedly  shot  in  the  early  dawn.  The 
Duke  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  see  the  Pre- 
mier Consul  but  this  boon  was  refused  him.  The 
juge  d 'instruction,  who  was  the  lawful  person 
to  condemn  him,  was  waked  in  the  morning  and 
was  given  an  urgent  letter  from  Napoleon,  sent 
by  special  messenger,  telling  him  to  stop  the  pro- 
ceedings against  d'Enghien.  It  was  then  only 
4  a.m.;  the  judge  rose  at  once,  and  hastened  to 
where  the  Due  d'Enghien  was  imprisoned  at  Vin- 
cennes,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  execution  was 
already  over.  As  the  judge  arrived  at  the  fort- 
ress, he  met  the  squad  of  soldiers  returning  from 
their  deadly  work. 

The  Empress  has  lately  been  reading  Mme. 
de  Stael's  Letters,  and  finds  what  she  thinks  is 
a  clue  to  this  author's  and  her  father's  in- 
veterate hatred  of  Napoleon  I.  M.  de  Necker 
had  prepared,  it  appears,  a  reception  for  the 
young  General  Bonaparte  and  invited  him  to 
come  to  his  house  on  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  at  Fer- 

304 


LATER  EVENTS 

nay,  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  Voltaire. 
Ignoring  M.  de  Necker's  important  position  and 
polite  invitation,  Napoleon  answered  flippantly: 
"A  Fernay? — Mais  je  croyais  Voltaire  mort  [To 
Fernay? — But,  I  thought  Voltaire  was  dead]." 
M.  de  Necker  never  forgave  this  slight.  "Mais," 
the  Empress  added,  "Mme.  de  Stael  aurait  volon- 
tiers  pardonne  plus  tard,  si  Napoleon  l'avait 
voulu  [But,  Mme.  de  Stael  would  have  willingly 
forgiven  him  later,  if  Napoleon  had  wished  it]." 
This  is  what  the  Empress  told  us  about  the 
Due  de  Reichstadt:  History  says  he  was  not 
liked  by  his  grandfather,  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, but  this  was  not  the  case.  On  the  contrary, 
Franz  Joseph  was  extremely  fond  and  proud  of 
his  grandson.  The  Empress  told  us  of  the  sur- 
veillance exercised  over  him,  because  of  the  plots 
to  rescue  him  from  Austria  and  put  him  on  his 
captive  father's  throne.  She  told  us  about  his 
cousin  Napoleone  (Countess  Camerata,  daugh- 
ter of  Eliza  Bonaparte)  and  how  she  waited 
about  Vienna  for  a  month  trying  to  manage  an 
interview  with  him.  At  last,  in  desperation,  she 
bribed  the  servants  of  a  professor  to  whose  house 
young  "Franz"  was  permitted  to  go  alone, 
and  she  was  allowed  to  stand  on  a  turn  of  the 
staircase.  Many  times  she  waited  there  in  vain, 
but  at  last  one  evening  her  opportunity  came. 
The  Due  started  up  the  stairs,  coming  face  to 

305 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

face  with  her,  but  when  she  tried  to  stop  him 
and  explain  who  she  was,  misunderstanding  her 
motives  he  darted  up  the  stairs,  and  his  one 
chance  was  lost  forever.  On  arriving  home  at 
the  Castle  of  Schonbrun  he  found  a  heart-broken 
letter  from  Napoleone  explaining  all,  and  beg- 
ging him  to  accept  the  chance  of  escape  from 
Austria.  He  vacillated,  refused  his  opportunity 
and  never  got  another. 

This  young  Due  begged  so  hard  to  have  a 
regiment  of  his  own,  that  his  grandfather  finally 
gave  him  one.  Then  the  young  soldier  could  be 
seen  morning  and  night  drilling  his  regiment, 
and  when  he  finally  got  it  so  that  he  was  proud  of 
it,  he  asked  his  grandfather  one  day  to  assist  at 
a  review.  At  first  Franz  Joseph  refused  the  re- 
quest for  fear  of  what  Congres  would  say,  but  at 
last  he  yielded.  The  Due  de  Reichstadt  delight- 
edly brought  up  his  regiment,  saluted  his  grand- 
father in  a  very  gallant  way  and  then  galloped 
off.  There  was  a  large  fosse  close  by;  this  he 
jumped  fully  accoutred  and  the  whole  regiment 
followed  after  him,  crying  in  their  excited  en- 
thusiasm: "Vive  Napoleon!"  Next  day  there 
was  a  note  from  Congrbs  and  the  regiment  was 
taken  away  from  poor  Franz.  He  died  of  con- 
sumption in  1832  at  Schonbrun,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  and  is  buried  near  the  Emperor  and 
his  four  wives.     This  was  all  told  *he  Empress 

306 


LATER  EVENTS 

by  Count  Prokesch-Osten,  the  Due  de  Reich- 
stadt's  only  intimate  friend,  whom  the  Empress 
met  when  he  was  a  very  old  man. 

Thursday,  October  28,  1886.  We  learn  that 
Mrs.  Standish's  house,  "Le  Berystyde,"  was 
burned  to  the  ground  on  Tuesday  night.  The 
Empress  telegraphed  at  once  and  sent  over  M. 
Pietri  and  M.  Chevreau  to  offer  her  condolence, 
to  inquire  concerning  Mrs.  Standish,  who  was 
terribly  burned,  and  offer  assistance  in  any  shape. 
The  gentlemen  returned  at  2  p.  m.  with  a  sad 
account  of  the  occurrence.  At  three  the  Em- 
press, Mme.  Le  Breton  and  the  two  gentlemen 
started  off  to  pay  a  farewell  visit  to  Lady  Hol- 
land at  St.  Ann's. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
October  29,  1886. 
This  morning  early,  as  soon  as  the  Empress 
was  down,  there  was  much  commotion  in  the 
house, — orders  and  counter-orders,  and  as  much 
fuss  as  if  it  were  the  very  first  time  anyone  of 
note  had  been  received  at  Farnborough.  The 
servants  in  gala  dress, — knickerbockers  and  silk 
stockings, — running  about,  putting  up  the  awn- 
ings over  the  porch  and  laying  the  royal  red  car- 

307 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

pet  at  the  entrance.     The  Empress  is  in  a  very 
nervous  state. 

At  last,  at  12:50  the  royal  party  arrived  in 
the  two  carriages  sent  to  meet  them,  accompanied 
by  M.  Pietri,  who,  in  the  absence  of  the  Due  de 
Bassano,  does  the  honors.  Grand  salutations 
and  royal  kisses,  and  when  the  Duchess  and  her 
children  had  taken  off  their  things  in  the  Em- 
press's room  and  had  chatted  a  little  with  her, 
the  door  opened  and  all  appeared  together,  mak- 
ing their  way  up  the  gallery.  When  they 
reached  the  spot  where  Mme.  Le  Breton,  the  two 
gentlemen  and  myself  were  waiting,  the  Empress 
presented  us  each  in  turn  to  the  Duchess  of  Teck, 
behind  whom  followed  Princess  Victoria  Mary 
of  Teck,  a  pretty  girl  of  eighteen,  Prince 
Adolphus,  about  nineteen  or  twenty,  and  the 
youngest  boy  of  twelve,  Prince  Alexander 
George.  Such  a  size  as  he  is, — and  such  fat  rosy 
cheeks,  and  such  an  appetite!  The  lunch  went 
off  very  comfortably  and  pleasantly,  our  guests 
being  simple  and  natural,  and  Prince  Alexander 
not  a  little  astonished  at  being  called  Voire  Al- 
tesse  by  the  Empress,  for  at  Mr.  Morton's  near 
here,  where  he  is  at  school  at  present,  he  is  only 
"Alex,"  or  "Teck"  to  his  comrades.  Each  and 
all  have  wonderful  appetites, — no  wonder  the 
good-natured  Duchess  is  so  stout.  Her  daugh- 
ter "May,"  as  she  is  called  by  her  family,  how- 

308 


LATER  EVENTS 

ever,  has  a  lithe  charming  figure  and  is  a  sweet 
looking  girl,  rather  shy  and  retiring.  I  took  her 
all  over  the  house  after  luncheon  and  showed  her 
the  interesting  things  in  the  glass  cases,  but  not 
even  the  wonderful  Charlemagne  "talisman"  in 
the  chapel  elicited  from  her  any  expression  of 
pleasure,  surprise  or  interest.  All  she  said  was 
"very  nice"  to  anything  I  showed  her.  Only 
once  all  day  I  remember  her  making  a  sponta- 
neous remark  of  her  own,  and  that  was  in  per- 
ceiving high  up  over  a  doorway  a  rather  com- 
monplace picture  of  a  Swiss  mountain.  The 
Princess  recognized  some  old  favorite  of  hers, 
her  face  lighted  up,  and  she  really  did  seem 
pleased  for  the  time.  Mme.  de  Arcos,  who  stays 
often  with  the  family  at  "White  Lodge,"  Rich- 
mond, and  sees  them  in  the  most  intimate  way, 
said  that  Princess  May  hardly  ever  speaks  except 
when  spoken  to,  but  sits  quietly  in  the  drawing 
room  of  an  evening,  sewing  away,  making  va- 
rious flannel  petticoats  and  garments  for  the 
poor.  The  Duchess  is  at  the  head  of  some  large 
organization  work  for  poor  people  and  her 
daughter  helps  her  tremendously.  What  a  hand- 
some man  the  Duke  must  have  been  a  few  years 
ago.  He  was  most  polite  to  me  and  while  we 
were  all  dispersed  through  the  reception  rooms, 
looking  at  the  different  pictures,  etc.,  I  heard 
some  one  behind  me  saying  to  M.  Pietri:     "But 

309 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

please  present  me  to  Mademoiselle  W.,"  and  be- 
fore I  had  time  to  turn  around  the  speaker  came 
up  to  me,  as  he  might  have  done  to  an  old  friend 
he  had  not  seen  for  years,  saying,  "Mademoiselle, 
Tlmperatrice  a  passe  si  vite  a  table,  qu'elle  ne 
m'a  pas  presente.  Aussi  vous  m'excuserez  de  ne 
vous  avoir  pas  parle  avant,  car  [and  here  he 
laughed]  je  suis  un  homme  si  bien  eleve,  que  je 
n'ai  pas  ose  le  faire  avant  la  presentation."  ■ 

At  3 :30  the  whole  party  went  for  a  drive  with 
the  Empress,  and  at  five  their  special  saloon  car- 
riage was  hooked  on  to  the  express  train  which 
took  them  back  to  "White  Lodge,"  Richmond. 
After  seeing  his  family  off,  Prince  Alexander 
returned  here  in  the  carriage  with  the  Empress, 
who  gave  him  a  good  solid  supper, — cold  meat, 
sandwiches,  and  all  sorts  of  things,  to  which  he 
did  full  justice  before  returning  to  school.  It 
was  amusing  to  see  how  his  eyes  lighted  up  with 
schoolboy  gratitude  and  expectation  when  supper 
was  mooted  by  his  hostess. 

In  the  evening  while  talking  about  our  visitors, 
we  happened  to  get  on  the  subject  of  nicknames 
and  the  Empress  expressed  her  general  dislike 
of  them.  She  told  us,  what  we  already  knew, 
that  Princess  Victoria  of  Teck  is  called  "May" 

i  "Mademoiselle,  the  Empress  went  to  table  so  quickly  that  she 
did  not  present  me  to  you.  So  you  must  excuse  my  not  speaking 
to  you  before  this,  for,  I  am  such  a  well  brought  up  man,  I  did 
not  dare  to  do  so  before  the  presentation." 

310 


LATER  EVENTS 

in  her  family,  while  Prince  Albert  Victor  of 
Wales  is  called  "Eddie," — Collar  and  Cufs 
is  his  vulgar  and  popular  name.  The  Prince 
Imperial  was  called  "Lulu"  until  his  seventh 
birthday,  when  the  Emperor  interfered,  saying, 
"It  is  impossible  in  France  for  a  man  to  make 
himself  eminent  having  a  ridiculous  nickname." 
The  name  Plon-Plon,  the  Empress  thought,  did 
Prince  Napoleon  '  more  harm  than  any  other 
thing  outside  of  his  own  character.  He  gave  it 
to  himself  as  a  child. 

Apropos  of  nicknames,  the  Empress  continued 
with  an  amusing  little  scene  she  witnessed  once 
at  some  races.  It  was  a  dialogue  between  the 
Princess  Royal  of  England  ( Empress  Frederick 
of  Germany)  and  the  Duchess  of  Edinburgh 
(daughter  of  the  Czar) . 

Duchess  (very  excitedly):  "Vicky! 
Vicky !  the  opera  glasses,  quickly."  Receiv- 
ing no  answer:     "Vicky,  don't  you  hear?" 

Princess  Royal:  "I  hear  perfectly,  but 
I  am  only  'Vicky'  for  Mama  and  my  broth- 
ers. 

Duchess,  with  much  emphasis  and  pique: 
"Oh,  very  well  I  will  call  you  'Royal  High- 
ness' with  pleasure,  but  you  will  be  kind 
enough  to  call  me  'Imperial  Highness' !" 

iBorn  1822;  died  1891.    Son  of  Jerome,  youngest  brother  of 
Napoleon  I. 

311 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Saturday,  October  30.     The  Due  de  Moray 
and  his  bride  (Senorita  Guzman-Bianco)   came 
to  lunch.     She  is  a  perfectly  lovely  little  creature 
and  her  father,  who  is  president  of  Venezuela,  is 
fabulously  rich.     M.  le  Baron  de  Varu  accom- 
panied them,  also  a  Mme.  Serre,  sister  of  Mme. 
de  Saulcy,  who  visited  here  earlier  in  the  season. 
The    conversation    today    partly    concerned 
Clotilde,  Princesse  de  Savoie.     She  is  the  wife 
of  Plon-Plon,  daughter  of  Victor  Emanuel,  sis- 
ter of  King  Humbert  of  Italy  and  the  Queen  of 
Portugal.     The  Empress  considers  that  Princess 
Clotilde  missed  her  vocation, — she  lives  in  the 
world  the  life  of  a  nun  and  dresses  like  one.     She 
gets  up  at  five,  and  goes  alone  to  church,  carry- 
ing in  winter  a  little  lantern;  visits  the  poor  and 
is  very  charitable;  but  with  all  that,  she  has  a 
great  deal  of  pride  for  the  Maison  de  Savoie  and 
is  very  particular  about  questions  d'etiquette. 
The  Empress  thinks  that  had  she  dressed  better, 
kept  herself  less  apart,  and  been  more  a  femme 
du  monde  she  might  have  influenced  Plon-Plon, 
her  husband,  a  little  for  the  good.     Clotilde's  hair 
is  quite  white,  though  she  is  only  forty-three 
years  old.     It  is  thought  probable  that  as  soon 
as  their  daughter,  Princess  Letitia,  marries,  the 
mother  will  go  into  a  convent.     Princess  Letitia 
is  quite  unlike  her  mother,  very  gay  and  bright, 
and  they  dote  on  her  at  the  Italian  court;  she  is 

312 


LATER  EVENTS 

often  at  Monza,  near  Milan,  where  the  royal 
family  spends  a  great  deal  of  its  time. 

Prince  Napoleon,  the  Empress  added,  strongly 
resembles  the  type  of  Napoleon  I,  but  has  not  a 
good  expression, — a  man  who  is  full  of  hatred, 
as  he  is,  must  show  it  in  his  face  she  thinks.  He 
gives  to  Princess  Letitia  all  the  affection  he  fails 
to  give  his  son,  Prince  Victor.  Plon-Plon,  the 
Empress  says,  with  his  republican  ideas  would 
willingly  marry  her  to  le  premier  venu,  but  her 
particular,  aristocratic  mother  would  not  allow 
it.1 

M.  Chevreau  told  us  about  some  of  Letitia's 
pranks.  She  is  a  fine  looking  girl,  tall  and 
strong  and  full  of  life  and  mischief,  and  recently 
took  away  the  breath  of  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Italy  by  appearing  in  the  midst  of  a  very  cere- 
monious occasion  at  the  races,  bestriding  a 
bicycle.  This  was  in  the  early  bicycle  days  be- 
fore ladies  had  begun  to  use  them  freely.  She 
had  quietly  procured  one,  learned  to  ride  it, 
sworn  the  courtiers  to  secrecy,  and  enjoyed  the 
fun  of  shocking  the  court  by  her  daring  and  un- 
expected proceeding. 

Monday,  November  1.  All  Saints  day. 
Went  up  to  London  with  the  Empress,  M.  Chev- 
reau and  M.  Pietri.     I  left  them  all  at  Waterloo 

i  Princess  Letitia  since  married   (1888)  the  Duke  of  Aosta. 

313 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Station  en  route  for  Chislehurst,  and  went  my- 
self to  see  G.  Got  back  to  the  station  in  the 
late  afternoon  fifteen  minutes  too  soon,  but  found 
the  Empress  and  the  two  gentlemen  already- 
waiting  there,  the  former  very  much  t'red  out, 
not  being  at  all  well  now. 

Tuesday,  November  2.  All  Souls  day. 
Went  to  mass  and  Holy  Communion  with  the 
Empress.  I  have  not  seen  H.  I.  M.  really  alone 
for  some  days,  and  I  must  talk  over  my  coming 
departure  for  Paris.  Very  nice  letter  from  Mile. 
Henriette  Conneau  from  Paris.  Dr.  Chepmell 
arrived  to  see  the  Empress  again  and  dined  here, 
leaving  at  9 :30  p.  m. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
November  3,  1886. 
All  the  time  we  were  walking  up  and  down  this 
evening  after  dinner,  the  Empress  was  im- 
pressing upon  me  the  necessity  of  making  a 
"budget,"  as  she  calls  it,  for  the  year,  fixing  the 
approximate  sums  I  propose  to  spend  for  differ- 
ent needs  and  keeping  scrupulously  to  them,  put- 
ting the  balance  away  regularly.  H.  I.  M.  says 
she  is  always  anxious  for  young  people  to  learn 
to  plan  according  to  their  income  and  to  save,  be 
it  ever  so  little,  for  a  rainy  day.     She  has  given 

314 


LATER  EVENTS 

me  one  of  her  own  sheets  of  special  foolscap, 
ruled  for  the  months  of  the  year,  for  receipts  and 
expenditures,  and  has  begged  me  to  use  it  for 
her  sake,  which  I  certainly  shall.  She  also  means 
to  give  me  un  petit  mot  de  sa  part  for  her  own 
homme  d'affaires  in  Paris  that  I  may  not  fail, 
as  she  says,  to  invest  my  petites  economies  safely 
and  advantageously.  M.  Langlois  is  a  clever 
and  conscientious  man,  and  will  gladly  advise 
me  well  and  willingly  for  her  sake.  Is  it  not 
good  of  her  to  take  such  personal  interest?  She 
has  advised  me  to  take  one  or  two  small  shares 
in  the  "Credit  Foncier,"  which  pays  three  and 
one  half  per  cent.,  besides  dividing  the  yearly  sur- 
plus into  a  certain  number  of  prizes.  The  gros 
lot  is,  I  think,  one  hundred  thousand  francs  and 
the  Empress  says,  now  that  I  am  en  bonne  veine 
she  has  a  strong  presentiment  I  shall  have  good 
luck  and  gain  something.  She  repeats  and  per- 
sists in  saying  this.  How  nice  if  I  should.  She 
has  explained  to  me  at  great  length  the  absolute 
security  of  the  "Credit  Foncier" ;  how  wars  even 
would  only  temporarily  affect  it,  and  then  only 
the  interest,  not  the  capital. 

Wednesday,  November  3.  Dr.  Scott  called  in 
the  morning,  and  I  sat  and  talked  with  him  until 
the  Empress  came  dow*i  to  see  him.  The  early 
afternoon  slipped  by  while  I  was  helping  the 

315 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

Empress  to  take  a  pattern  of  some  magnificent 
church  work, — splendid  old  Spanish  vestments. 
Later  on  that  day,  while  driving  with  her  alone 
and  talking  among  other  things  about  the  out- 
break of  cholera  in  Paris,  in  1865,  the  Empress 
gave  me  an  interesting  account  of  her  public 
visitation  to  the  hospitals  in  the  different  cities 
that  were  most  stricken.  She  usually  went  with 
a  large  retinue,  but  actually  visited  the  patients 
by  herself.  The  visiting  was  done  not  so  much 
for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  sick  patients,  but  to 
impress  rather  the  minds  of  the  timid  people  at 
large,  and  to  give  them  courage.  Her  own  cour- 
age did  much  good  in  that  way  and  made  them 
take  heart.  In  fact  the  Empress  considered  it 
was  an  absolute  necessity  to  prevent  the  public, 
— the  nation, — from  getting  thoroughly  demoral- 
ized with  fear.  The  following  is  what  happened 
during  a  certain  visit  to  Amiens,  one  of  the  worst 
cholera  centers  that  year: 

The  imperial  party  was  met  in  the  morning  at 
the  station  by  a  deputation  of  priests  and  civil 
dignitaries  and  conducted  in  carriages  to  the  Ca- 
thedral, where  there  was  first  a  solemn  service 
imploring  God  to  remove  the  scourge.  The  Em- 
press then  visited  each  of  the  hospitals,  and  after 
a  little  refreshment,  started  to  return  to  Paris  in 
the  late  afternoon.  When  she  got  back  to  the 
station  she  happened  to  ask  where  a  certain  very 

316 


LATER  EVENTS 

nice  looking  young  priest  was,  with  whom  she  had 
talked  in  the  morning,  and  who  had  particularly 
interested  her  by  his  zeal  and  intelligence.  She 
saw  they  hesitated  to  answer  her,  and  renewed 
her  question.  After  vainly  trying  to  spare  her 
the  knowledge,  they  had  to  admit  at  last  that  he 
was  dead.  He  had  succumbed  to  the  epidemic 
soon  after  the  interview  with  his  sovereign,  and 
from  perfect  health  had  been  gathered  in  by 
death  in  that  short  interval.  This  was  naturally 
rather  a  shock. 

While  visiting  a  ward  of  the  principal  hospital 
that  day,  her  attention  was  directed  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  terrible  groans  and  screams  to  one  man 
who  was  outdoing  them  all  in  noise.  She  went 
up  to  him  and  bending  over  the  poor  fellow,  said : 
"What  is  the  matter?"  "Oh,  Madame,  I  am 
suffering  so  terribly!"  She  saw  by  the  placard 
over  his  bed  that  he  was  a  soldier  and  she  re- 
proached him,  saying,  "You  a  soldier,  you  ought 
to  be  able  to  bear  pain  better  than  that !  Allons, 
du  courage !  ne  mourrez  pas !  Cramponnez-vous 
a  la  vie !  "  *  She  forgot  the  incident  entirely,  as 
it  was  only  one  of  a  great  many  other  similar 
cases.  Some  months  later,  walking  across  the 
place  du  Carousel,  a  soldier  came  rather  sheep- 
ishly forward.  He  saluted  and  then  standing  in 
front  of  her  he  hesitated,  evidently  deeply  em- 

i "  Come,    have    courage,    do    not    die !    Cling    on    to    life  I " 

317 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

barrassed,  and  not  knowing  how  to  begin  his 
little  speech.  Thinking  he  wished  some  favor 
granted,  she  tried  to  help  him  out.  At  last, 
making  a  great  effort,  the  soldier  blurted  out 
these  words:  "Madame,  je  me  suis  cramponne 
a  la  vie,  et  me  voici. — Merci !"  x — and  then  he 
fled.  He  was  her  noisy  soldier  of  the  cholera 
hospital  at  Amiens. 

The  cholera  reminiscences  reminded  the  Em- 
press of  another  interesting  case.  In  going 
through  some  other  hospital  at  another  time  she 
saw  a  very  strange  phenomenon.  The  doctors 
showed  her  a  woman  who  had  imprinted  on  the 
iris  of  her  eye,  a  very  clear  and  exact  representa- 
tion of  a  coin  bearing  the  profile  of  Napoleon  I. 
Much  interested  in  this  case,  on  questioning  the 
woman,  they  found  that  shortly  before  her  birth 
her  father  and  mother  had  sustained  great  finan- 
cial losses,  which  had  distressed  and  greatly  pre- 
occupied the  mother.  When  the  baby  was  born, 
this  strange  phenomenon  was  noticed  and  has  re- 
mained in  evidence  all  her  life. 

Thursday,  November  4.  I  am  writing  this 
in  the  train  on  my  way  up  to  London,  where  I 
am  going  to  pilot  Mme.  Le  Breton  about.  At 
three  o'clock  we  are  going  to  the  Muriettas' 

i  "Madame,  I  did  cling  on  to  life,  and  here  I  am.    Thank  you." 

318 


LATER  EVENTS 

(Marques  Santurce)  bank  in  the  city,  where 
Mme.  Le  Breton  has  money  matters  to  attend 
to.  She  has  volunteered  to  broach  the  subject  of 
my  departure  to  the  Empress  this  evening,  if 
possible,  so  that  I  hope  my  plans  may  be  defi- 
nitely made  by  tomorrow.  The  train  is  going  so 
fast  and  shaking  so  dreadfully  I  cannot  write 
any  more. 

Thursday,  November  4.  At  6  p.  m.,  M.  Pietri 
and  M.  Chevreau  returned  from  London,  bring- 
ing with  them  the  Duque  de  Alva,  who  is  coming 
to  spend  the  night  at  Farnborough  Hill.  M. 
Chevreau's  presence  here  brought  out  in  the  eve- 
ning many  reminiscences,  while  sitting  around  the 
big  table  in  the  grand  salon  playing  jeux  de  'pa- 
tience. The  Empress  was  telling  about  travels 
in  Switzerland  and  reminded  M.  Chevreau  about 
the  story  of  a  Greek  gentleman,  Mr.  Carnelgie, 
whom  they  met  and  who  used  to  join  them  in 
their  walks.  One  day  they  came  to  a  brook  with 
stepping-stones.  M.  Chevreau's  father  was  be- 
hind the  Empress,  Carnelgie  in  front.  The  lat- 
ter offered  her  his  hand  to  help  her  across. 
When  they  were  in  the  very  middle  of  the  brook 
with  the  water  rushing  on  both  sides,  he  surprised 
her  with  a  formal  declaration.  He  said  to  her: 
"Je  t'adore."  Between  her  fear  that  Chevreau 
would  overhear  the  nonsense,  and  her  dread  of 

319 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

letting  go  Carnelgie's  hand  and  falling  into  the 
water,  she  was  in  a  very  unpleasant  position. 
She  had  already  invited  Carnelgie  to  dinner,  so 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  let  him  come,  and  he 
arrived  jauntily  bringing  a  guitar.  After  the 
meal  he  got  out  his  instrument  and  began  singing 
love-songs,  and  at  night  he  walked  up  and  down 
in  front  of  her  windows.  The  next  day  Chev- 
reau  told  him  he  must  go  away,  and  he  went 
obediently.  He  turned  up  again  in  Paris,  how- 
ever, struck  up  a  great  intimacy  with  one  of  the 
grooms,  who  let  him  know  privately  concerning 
matters  at  the  Tuileries.  The  groom  informed 
him  of  the  fact  that  there  were  painters  in  the 
house,  so  Carnelgie  disguised  himself  as  a  painter 
and  got  in.  He  was  soon  discovered  and  dis- 
missed again,  but  was  not  at  all  discouraged  in 
his  efforts.  Nothing  daunted,  he  next  went  to 
Pepita,  the  Empress's  Spanish  maid,  and  talked 
her  over  to  his  side,  by  telling  her  he  had  a  letter 
from  a  condemned  man  which  was  very  urgent, 
and  that  he  must  see  the  Empress.  Pepita,  quite 
convinced,  carried  the  letter  and  gave  it  to  the 
Empress,  who  on  opening  it  found  it  was  a  love- 
letter  with  a  picture  of  two  doves  cooing.  After 
this  last  amatory  effort,  he  was  taken  home  to 
an  asylum  in  Greece.  The  poor  man  is  now 
dead. 

The  Empress  and   M.   Chevreau  told  each 
320 


INTERIOR  OF  MEMORIAL  CHURCH,  FARNBOROUGH 


LATER  EVENTS 

other  a  lot  of  funny  incidents  and  anecdotes 
about  a  Countess  Ratazzi,  and  then  came  this 
strange  story  about  Comtesse  Potocka. 

A  lady  presented  herself  one  day  at  the  Tui- 
leries  and  begged  and  implored  to  see  la  dame  de 
service.  That  week  it  happened  to  be  the  turn 
of  Mme.  de  la  Poesse,  who  went  down  to  the 
salon  set  apart  for  interviews  and  found  a  strange 
looking  but  very  beautiful  woman  robed  in  a 
long  black  velvet  dress  reaching  almost  to  her 
feet.  She  was  in  a  very  excited  state.  She  told 
her  story  to  Mme.  de  la  Poesse  and  begged  very 
hard  to  see  the  Emperor.  This  was  refused. 
She  said  she  thought  the  Emperor  had  it  in  his 
power  to  force  Comte  Potocki  (who  held  a  posi- 
tion in  the  imperial  household)  to  keep  his  prom- 
ise of  marriage  with  her.  She  was  a  Parisienne 
by  birth  but  of  no  family,  and  had  set  her  heart 
on  marrying  Comte  Potocki,  who  was  a  mere 
acquaintance  of  hers.  She  had  proposed  the 
match  to  him,  but  he  refused,  saying  his  Polish 
pride  could  not  allow  him  to  marry  her. 

"But  if  I  were  of  a  family  like  yourself,  then 
would  you  marry  me?"  she  asked.  He  answered 
in  jest,  "Certainly, — then,"  thinking  that  would 
give  a  quietus  to  the  matter.  The  beautiful  sup- 
pliant then  went  away  and  disappeared  alto- 
gether from  Paris  for  some  years.  Comte  Po- 
tocki had  quite  forgotten  her  existence,  when  one 

321 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

day  she  returned,  went  to  see  him  and  claimed 
his  promise,  saying  that  she  was  now  "Comtesse 
Potocka."  He  professed  his  incredulity  and 
again  refused  to  marry  her,  and  hence  her  visit 
to  the  Tuileries  to  plead  her  cause  with  the  Em- 
peror and  induce  him  to  force  the  Comte  to  keep 
the  letter  of  his  word. 

This  is  what  had  happened  during  the  inter- 
vening years.  Having  heard  by  chance  of  the 
existence  of  an  old  Comte  Potocki,  an  invalid, 
and  paralyzed,  living  in  Dresden,  she  determined 
to  make  use  of  him  to  gain  her  end.  She  got 
herself  introduced,  said  she  had  heard  of  his  sad 
case  and  was  much  interested  in  it  as  she  had 
wonderful  natural  powers  of  curing  paralysis. 
She  explained  that  in  her  long  hair  there  was  a 
quantity  of  electricity  that  she  could  apply  to 
his  cure;  and  she  felt  sure  she  should  be  success- 
ful. She  induced  him  to  let  her  take  up  her 
abode  in  the  house  and  made  herself  so  indis- 
pensable in  every  way,  that  he  became  much  at- 
tached to  her  and  finally  adopted  her  in  due  legal 
form.  She  became  in  this  way  a  "Potocki,"  and 
at  the  old  man's  death  two  years  later,  she  in- 
herited from  him  with  a  fortune  the  title  also  of 
Comtesse.  Armed  with  this  she  returned  to 
France  to  claim  a  husband  earned  by  her  clever- 

822 


LATER  EVENTS 

ness,  though  not  by  her  straightforward  dealing. 
The  sequel  of  this  strange  story  is  not  known. 

From  a  letter: 

Farnborough  Hill, 
November  6,  1886. 

I  shall  very  likely  leave  here  Monday,  but  as 
yet  I  do  not  know  definitely.  As  I  told  you  I 
spent  the  whole  day  yesterday  in  the  Empress's 
sitting-room,  so  I  had  no  time  to  think  about  my 
packing.  Now  I  must  finish  this  hurriedly  and 
get  some  of  it  done  before  lunch,  as  afterward 
the  Empress  will  probably  want  me  to  be  with 
her  again, — and  besides  the  Marquis  de  Bassano 
and  his  wife  are  coming  to  lunch. 

I  will  tell  you  all  about  the  Duque  de  Alva's 
visit  of  yesterday  when  we  meet,  which  I  hope 
will  now  be  soon.  The  Empress's  visit  to  Wind- 
sor is  put  off,  as  she  is  not  well,  and  fears  the 
cold  and  drafts  which  the  Queen  so  dearly  loves, 
and  which  are  almost  death  to  everyone  less 
strong.  Her  doctor  has  forbidden  her  going  out 
until  the  fifteenth,  so  that  simplifies  matters  be- 
tween her  and  the  Queen.  All  this  will  change 
the  plans  for  Italy,  which  vexes  her  very  much. 

Talking  of  the  cold  at  Windsor  the  Empress 
dilated  at  some  length  concerning  the  Queen's 
love  of  it  and  the  low  temperature  that  she  could 

323 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

stand,  being  entirely  comfortable  while  others 
were  freezing.  When  together  in  Scotland  at 
Balmoral,  or  Abergeldie,  they  used  to  go  out  to 
drive  in  the  afternoons,  and  it  was  an  ordinary 
practice  to  take  a  tea-basket  out  in  the  carriage 
with  them.  At  a  certain  hour  the  carriage  was 
halted,  John  Brown  or  some  other  attendant 
made  the  tea,  and  the  grooms  stood  at  the  horses' 
heads  while  the  tea  was  drunk.  The  Empress 
said  she  not  infrequently  saw  flakes  of  snow  fall- 
ing into  her  cup.  She  did  not  enjoy  it,  but  the 
Queen  did.  Her  Majesty  evidently  believes  in 
the  survival  of  the  fittest. 

Balmoral  Castle  being  small,  the  Queen  pro- 
vides a  little  feudal  lodge  at  Abergeldie  for  her 
guests.  It  is  connected  by  telephone  with  the 
main  castle  building.  The  Empress  said  that 
one  day  on  a  former  visit  in  accordance  with  the 
usual  habit  of  the  royal  family,  arrangements 
were  constantly  being  changed,  and  they  were 
telephoning  over  to  inquire  whether  she  would 
come  over  to  the  castle  or  whether  the  Queen 
should  call  on  her.  The  telephone  was  a  novelty 
at  that  time,  and  people  were  unaccustomed  to 
its  use.  The  Empress  in  her  sitting-room,  not 
far  from  the  telephone,  was  discussing  freely  with 
Mme.  de  Arcos  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  visit,  say- 
ing, "Oh  no,  I  don't  think  I  want  to  go, — I  don't 
feel  quite  well,"  when  to  her  surprise  she  heard 

324 


LATER  EVENTS 

a  laughing  voice:  "I  hear  you  auntie,  I  hear 
all  you  say!"  It  was  the  Princess  Beatrice  at 
the  other  end.  After  that  they  were  more  cir- 
cumspect in  their  remarks. 

Sunday,  November  7.  Dr.  Scott  called  at 
afternoon  tea  time  and  the  Empress  asked  him  to 
stay  to  dinner  as  it  was  to  be  my  last  evening 
here,  and  he  did. 

Monday,  November  8.  M.  Detailleur  arrived 
in  the  morning  to  see  how  the  building  of  the 
monastery  was  progressing.  After  lunch  I  went 
with  much  regret  to  the  Empress's  room  to  say 
goodby  to  her.  She  was  most  gracious  and  af- 
fectionate to  me,  as  indeed  she  always  has  been 
and  especially  in  these  last  intimate  months. 
After  talking  a  little  while,  she  went  to  a  drawer 
of  her  writing-table  and  took  out  some  photo- 
graphs. She  chose  one  among  a  good  many, 
saying,  "Je  vous  en  donnerai  une  du  temps  ou 
j'etais  mieux  qu'a  present  [I  will  give  you  one 
of  a  period  when  I  was  better  looking  than  at 
present]."  She  then  sat  down  at  her  desk  and 
put  her  autograph  to  it,  and  also  at  my  request 
wrote  her  name  in  my  birthday-book.  This  was 
a  very  great  thing  for  her  to  do,  as  she  has  a 
horror  of  giving  her  signature,  especially  on  a 
photograph.     After  the  experiences  she  told  me 

325 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

about,  and  the  wicked  abuse  that  had  resulted  in 
a  similar  case,  I  quite  understood  her  general 
reluctance. 

I  sat  with  her  there  some  time  while  she  held 
my  hand  in  hers  and  talked  very  intimately  and 
affectionately.  Then,  when  the  relentless  clock 
showed  me  it  was  really  time  to  make  a  move,  I 
arose  and  thanked  her  again  for  all  her  kindness 
to  me.  I  said  goodby  once  more,  bending  over 
her  hand  and  raising  it  to  my  lips  in  the  usual 
manner,  but  she  folded  me  right  into  her  arms, 
held  me  there  as  though  reluctant  to  let  me  go, 
and  kissed  me  warmly  on  both  cheeks.  She 
wished  me  all  good  luck  and  happiness  in  Paris, 
and  she  pressingly  invited  me  to  return  to  Farn- 
borough  on  my  very  first  opportunity,  telling  me 
with  one  of  her  winning  smiles  that  I  should  al- 
ways be  welcome  wherever  she  was.  The  car- 
riage was  waiting  at  the  door  to  take  me  and 
Mme.  Le  Breton,  who  accompanied  me  to  the 
station,  and  at  3:30  I  left  the  house,  deeply  re- 
gretting that  these  intensely  interesting  months 
were  over. 

In  regard  to  my  stay  with  her,  I  can  state 
about  the  Empress  with  all  sincerity  and  appro- 
priateness, exactly  what,  after  painting  a  portrait 
of  Her  Majesty,  Mme.  Vigee-Lebrun  wrote  in 
her  Memoirs  of  Queen  Marie  Antoinette : 

i  A  translation  of  the  original  entitled  Souvenirs. 

326 


LATER  EVENTS 

"Je  ne  crois  pas,  que  la  Reine  Marie  Antoin- 
ette ait  jamais  manque  l'occasion  de  dire  une 
chose  agreable  a  ceux  qui  avaient  l'honneur  de 
l'approcher,  et  la  bonte  qu'elle  m'a  tou jours  te- 
moignee  est  un  de  mes  plus  doux  souvenirs."  * 

i  "I  do  not  think  that  Queen  Marie  Antoinette  ever  once  missed 
an  opportunity  of  saying  an  agreeable  thing  to  those  who  had 
the  honor  of  approaching  her,  and  the  kindness  she  always  showed 
me  is  one  of  my  tenderest  recollections." 


327 


PART  V 

REMINISCENCES  OF  EMPBESS  EUGENIE*.      HEE 
CHARACTERISTICS   AND   IDIOSYNCRACIES 

In  the  preceding  pages  I  have  recorded  a  per- 
sonal view  of  Eugenie,  Empress  of  the  French, 
while  in  exile,  with  a  background  of  previous 
events  based  on  a  diary  and  letters,  and  much  of 
it  in  her  own  words.  In  the  following  pages,  I 
draw  on  my  recollections  and  with  the  help  of 
my  records  offer  a  further  intimate  picture  of 
the  Empress  as  I  now  see  her  in  perspective. 

When  I  first  really  made  her  acquaintance, 
in  February  1886,  three  months  before  her  six- 
tieth birthday,  she  still  retained  a  great  deal  of 
her  former  beauty.1     Her  hair  at  that  period 

i  The  Empress  told  us  that  as  a  child  she  was  not  considered 
at  all  beautiful  as  compared  to  her  more  brilliant  sister.  She 
was  even  painfully  self-conscious  of  her  own  supposed  mental 
and  physical  deficiencies,  and  was  especially  ashamed  of  the 
color  of  her  hair  (that  beautiful  wealth  of  reddish  gold,  that 
courtiers  later  on  raved  about  and  poets  sang,)  which  she  said 
people  called  red.  Her  nieces  told  me  they  had  heard  it  repeat- 
edly asserted  in  Madrid  that  at  that  period  Eugenie  was  plain 
almost  to  ugliness. 

328 


REMINISCENCES 

had  turned  a  lovely  gray, — she  wore  it  dressed 
rather  high,  and  with  little  soft  curls  just  touch- 
ing her  forehead.  Her  face  was  very  pale,  her 
eyes  drooping  and  sad,  with  the  slightest  sugges- 
tion of  black  under  the  edge  of  the  lids.  Above 
the  average  height,  she  was  stately,  and  had  a 
fine  figure;  a  well-poised  head;  a  face  full  of  ex- 
pression; beautiful  shoulders  and  arms;  and  a 
shapely  tapering  hand.  She  was  suffering  that 
winter  from  rheumatism  and  limped  slightly  as 
a  consequence,  but  when  I  saw  her  later  (in  the 
summer  of  1897)  she  seemed  to  have  entirely  re- 
covered from  her  lameness,  had  discarded  her 
stick,  and  walked  into  the  room  as  firmly  and 
upright  as  if  she  had  been  ten  years  younger, 
rather  than  eight  years  older,  since  our  last  meet- 
ing, and  had  never  known  a  day's  sorrow  or  sick- 
ness.1 To  me  her  most  striking  characteristic 
was  her  great  personal  charm,  which  she  was  not 
at  all  unwilling  to  make  use  of,  and  this  very 

iMme.  Lefevre,  in  a  letter  to  me  dated  July  26,  1901,  said  of 
her  former  sovereign:  "During  the  two  occasions  each  year  in 
which  I  see  Her  Majesty,  I  remain  a  long  time  with  her;  we  talk 
of  the  past  and  of  those  things  that  are  gone.  I  saw  her  in  the 
month  of  June,  and  she  was  extremely  well  and  truly  beautiful; 
it  has  been  a  long  time  since  I  found  her  so  well.  Her  carriage  is 
superb,  and  she  has  taken  on  again  an  air  of  youth,  which  her 
long  sickness  had  effaced;  she  has  even  flashes  of  gaiety." 

329 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

cordial,  winning  manner  caused  any  precon- 
ceived ideas  of  an  unpleasant  nature  to  fall  to 
the  ground  immediately.  No  one  could  ap- 
proach the  Empress  with  prejudices  and  keep 
them  five  minutes, — everybody  in  turn  fell  a  vic- 
tim. 

But  with  all  her  sweetness  she  knew  how  to 
hold  her  own.  Any  indiscreet  pushing  forward 
of  an  individual  particularly  angered  the  ex- 
sovereign,  who,  when  occasion  justified  it,  could 
become  freezingly  cold  and  distant,  making  the 
intruder  feel  that  Eugenie  was  the  wrong  per- 
son with  whom  to  take  liberties.  She  had,  too, 
a  most  unmistakable  fafon  de  congedier  which 
there  was  no  gainsaying.  When  in  her  estima- 
tion the  subject  matter  of  an  interview  was  over, 
and  she  wished  you  to  go, — you  went,  whoever 
you  were.  She  simply  rose,  bowed  and  put  out 
her  hand  in  a  charmingly  compelling  manner. 
Untutored  English  strangers  grasped  it;  French 
people  lifted  it  gently,  and  bending  over  kissed 
it  silently  before  retiring. 

Born  in  a  garden  in  Granada,  May  5,  1826, 
during  an  earthquake  which  forced  her  mother 
to  quit  the  family  dwelling,  Eugenie's  life  of 

330 


REMINISCENCES 

strange  ups  and  downs  of  fortune,  opening  thus 
not  inappropriately,  remained  during  its  whole 
course  a  veritable  kaleidoscope  of  rapid  and  un- 
foreseen changes. 

Her  character  was  impetuous  and  thoroughly 
Spanish  in  numberless  ways.  I  should  not  call 
her  a  great  woman,  but  a  most  interesting  one, 
full  of  strange  contradictory  traits.  She  seemed 
by  temperament  naturally  gay  and  light-hearted, 
but  with  a  touch  of  serious  earnestness,  and  an 
underlying  sadness,  which  came  quickly  to  the 
surface  if  anything  reminded  her  of  her  dead  son. 
She  talked  frequently  to  me  of  her  shattered 
nerves,  and  the  ample  notes  I  took  of  interesting 
conversation  bring  back  to  me  many  things  the 
Empress  said  then  about  her  health.  She  often 
repeated  in  my  hearing,  that  she  very  certainly 
could  never  have  withstood  all  the  strain,  the 
shocks,  and  even  hunger  and  privations  of  all 
kinds,  during  her  various  hard  experiences,  had 
it  not  been  for  her  early  bringing  up.  The 
Spartan  training  of  her  childhood  alone  had 
saved  her,  she  was  convinced,  from  complete 
physical  and  mental  breakdown  both  during  and 
after  her  many  troubles. 

331 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

She  told  us  much  at  different  times  about  her 
own  and  her  sister's  early  days.  Count  Monti  jo, 
their  father,  was  an  old  soldier  who  had  fought 
all  through  the  Napoleonic  wars,  and  was  at  that 
period  military  governor  of  a  fortified  town  in 
southern  Spain,  and  a  regular  martinet  in  his 
family.  He  did  not  allow  his  daughters  the  lux- 
ury of  stockings;  summer  and  winter  they  went 
without,  wearing  boots  only.  Not  wishing  to 
have  timid,  namby-pamby  daughters,  he  resorted 
to  extreme  measures.  Sometimes  he  put  Eu- 
genie and  her  sister  Francoise  astride  of  a  can- 
non on  the  ramparts  of  the  citadel,  which  was 
then  fired  off.  If  the  children  cried  or  winced, 
they  were  subjected  to  the  ordeal  a  second  and 
even  a  third  time.  For  the  same  ethical  reason 
of  training,  though  the  family  possessed  numer- 
ous horses,  and  the  many  gala  coaches  customary 
for  grandees  of  Spain,  the  Empress  told  me  she 
never  once  during  her  whole  girlhood  entered  a 
carriage,  except  for  traveling  purposes.  How- 
ever snowy,  cold  or  wet,  she  and  her  sister,  neither 
of  them  very  rugged,  always  trudged  everywhere 
on  foot.  When  the  time  came  for  them  to  make 
their  First  Communion   (1837),  they  spent  a 

332 


REMINISCENCES 

preparatory  month  in  the  convent  of  the  "Sacre" 
Coeur"  in  Paris,  and  schoolgirls  being  the  same 
the  world  over,  their  companions  teased  these 
new-comers  unmercifully  for  not  wearing  stock- 
ings, such  an  unusual  state  of  things  that  their 
small  brains  naturally  could  not  fathom  it.  Eu- 
genie's really  simple  tastes  during  her  whole  life 
(quite  contrary  to  her  reputation),  can  appar- 
ently be  explained  by  her  bringing  up  and  frugal 
way  of  living  as  a  girl  at  home.  She  certainly 
thought  so  herself. 

At  his  brother's  death  in  1834,  her  father,  the 
Conde  de  Teba,  inherited  the  title  of  Monti  jo,1 
also  much  property  and  a  goodly  fortune,  but 
the  parents  of  the  future  Empress  nevertheless 
continued  their  modest  way  of  living,  and  brought 
up  their  children  with  the  idea  of  judiciously 
using  but  not  wasting  their  means.  So  when 
Eugenie  and  Francoise  (afterwards  Duchess  of 
Alva)  were  a  little  older,  the  Condesa  gave  to 
each  of  these  young  daughters  a  small  dress  al- 

i  Traveling  in  Switzerland  with  her  In  1887  and  later  years,  her 
nieces  told  me  she  kept  the  curious  at  bay  by  appearing  on  the 
hotel  register  sometimes  as  Condesa  Monti  jo  or  Condesa  de  Teba; 
at  other  times  as  Marquesa  de  Moya  or  Palafox,  or  again  as 
Comtesse  de  Pierrefonds.  Of  these  many  titles  the  latter  was  most 
generally  used  by  her. 

388 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

lowance.  This  is  how  she  early  acquired  the  idea 
of  making  a  certain  fixed  sum  do,  a  habit  which 
she  claimed  she  adhered  to  rigidly  during  her 
entire  reign  and  also  afterwards.  Without 
economy  and  ingenuity  there  would  have  been 
little  or  no  margin  for  the  girls'  menu  plaisirs, 
and  so  to  make  their  rather  inadequate  allowance 
go  further,  they  were  forced  to  do  much  for  them- 
selves. They  always,  for  instance,  trimmed  their 
own  hats  and  bonnets,  and  their  busy  needles  and 
skilful  fingers  fashioned  a  great  many  of  their 
clothes  besides.  This  was  just  what  the  mother 
wished  to  achieve. 

In  spite  of  the  wonderful  innate  power  of 
adapting  herself  to  changed  circumstances,  of 
throwing  herself  into  her  surroundings,  which 
the  Empress  evidently  must  always  have  pos- 
sessed to  a  remarkable  degree,  she  admitted  that 
she  naturally  had  to  live  through  some  trying 
times  on  first  coming  to  the  throne. 

Talking  one  evening  of  the  early  days  after 
her  marriage,  and  her  inevitable  loneliness,  the 
Empress  told  us  that  from  the  royal  box  at  the 
opera,  while  looking  wearily  down  on  the  sea  of 
heads  below,  she  one  night  recognized  in  the 

334 


REMINISCENCES 

audience  people  known  to  her  in  Spain,  and  last 
seen  only  a  short  time  previously.  In  her  im- 
pulsive delight  at  perceiving  familiar  faces,  she 
entirely  forgot  who  she  now  was  and  where,  and 
began  waving,  kissing  her  hand  to  them  vigor- 
ously in  true  Spanish  fashion.  Then  suddenly 
noticing  the  Emperor's  cold  eye  fixed  on  her, 
she  remembered  and  checked  herself.  On  re- 
turning to  the  Tuileries  she  was  gently  repri- 
manded and  told  (what  of  course  she  already 
thoroughly  realized)  that  she  must  refrain  from 
that  kind  of  thing  hereafter. 

"Je  me  sentais  si  seule,  si  isolee,"  the  Empress 
once  said,  "en  r entrant  apres  ma  promenade  en 
voiture  journaliere,  dans  ces  apartements  de 
Palais  enormes  et  peu  meubles.  Tous  les  jours 
dans  les  premiers  temps  je  pleurais  en  secret; 
Pepita  avait  souvent  les  yeux  rouges  aussi,  et 
bien  des  fois  dans  notre  abandon,  nous  nous  jet- 
tions  dans  les  bras  Tune  de  l'autre,  pour  pleurer 
a  l'aise  loin  des  regards  de  tous."  * 

i "  A  sense  of  loneliness  and  isolation  used  to  take  possession 
of  me,  when  after  the  daily  drive  I  returned  to  the  huge  and 
formally  furnished  apartments  of  the  Palace.  In  those  first  days 
I  used  invariably  to  shed  a  few  secret  tears.  Pepita  I  often  found 
with  red  eyes  too,  and  many  a  time  in  our  desolation  we  threw 
ourselves  into  each  other's  arms  to  weep  unrestrainedly,  far  away 
from  all  prying  glances." 

335 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

P6pita  was  bright  and  capable  in  many  ways, 
though  ignorant  and  narrow-minded,  but  showed 
an  almost  oriental  devotion  to  her  mistress.  She 
had  filled  the  position  of  ladies'  maid  ever  since 
Eugenie's  girlhood,  when  as  an  uneducated  peas- 
ant she  first  entered  the  household  of  the  Con- 
desa  Monti  jo.  This  serving-woman,  living  at 
the  Tuileries,  was  at  this  time  the  one  and  only 
link  the  Empress  retained  with  the  past.  By  the 
exigencies  of  her  new  position  Eugenie  was  of 
course  absolutely  isolated  from  all  her  friends. 
She  had  nobody  about  her  with  whom  she  could 
unbend,  or  be  in  the  least  familiar.  Her  cour- 
tiers, many  of  them  charming  men  and  women, 
were  however  chosen  for  state  reasons,  and  all 
were  new  to  her  at  first,  and  she  herself  so  hedged 
round  with  numerous  barriers  of  etiquette,  that 
even  had  it  been  permissible  they  could  not  have 
filled  for  her  the  gap  made  by  the  absence  of  her 
old  friends.  The  bitter  had  to  be  accepted  with 
the  sweet. 

The  Empress  once  told  me  what  an  ordeal  she 
found  the  court  reception  du  Jour  de  VAn,  espe- 
cially at  first.  After  the  imperial  party  re- 
turned from  assisting  at  High  Mass  in  the  court 

336  i 


THE  EMPRESS  AND  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 


REMINISCENCES 

chapel,  each  1st  of  January,  all  the  members  of 
the  Bonaparte  family  and  all  the  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  imperial  household,  whether  it 
was  their  semaine  de  service  or  not,  assembled 
for  solemn  New  Year  greetings.  Making  her 
way  slowly  round  the  room,  she  had  to  shake 
hands  with  all  the  men,  speak  a  friendly  nothing 
to  each,  kiss  the  ladies,  and  say  a  pleasant  appro- 
priate word  to  them  as  well.  To  be  unconscious 
of  the  keen  relentless  criticism  of  her  husband's 
family  was  often  harder  for  her  at  such  times 
than  any  public  criticism  might  be.  The  prac- 
tice of  having  seasonable  little  nothings  on  the 
tip  of  her  tongue  on  all  occasions  for  so  many 
years  had,  I  noticed,  very  evidently  borne  its 
fruit,  for  during  the  months  I  spent  with  her  at 
Farnborough  the  Empress  showed  herself  a 
wonderful  adept  in  this  particular  art, — always 
knew  just  the  right  thing  to  say,  just  the  proper 
topic  to  touch  on,  or  on  which  to  be  silent.  Her 
memory  and  tact  in  this  regard  were  remark- 
able. 

Though  strong  physically,  enjoying  a  splen- 
did appetite  and  the  ability  often  denied  a 
younger  woman,  of  walking  hours  at  a  stretch, 

337 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  Empress  in  1886  was  still  severely  feeling 
the  nervous  reaction  from  her  sorrows  and  the 
terrible  events  of  1870  and  1879.  She  passed 
restless  nights,  waked  constantly  with  horrid 
nightmares,  and  enacted  over  again  in  dreams 
some  of  the  tragic  scenes  of  her  life.  The  many 
physicians  consulted  declared  she  had  a  consti- 
tution of  iron,  that  her  organs  were  absolutely 
perfect,  and  that  only  her  nerves  were  at  fault. 
Small  wonder  at  this  after  all  she  had  gone 
through!  But  in  spite  of  the  doctors'  diagnoses 
she  nevertheless  continued  to  fancy  herself  at- 
tacked by  every  malady  under  the  sun.  She  did 
not,  however,  dread  death  itself.  "J'ai  trop 
d'etres  aimes  qui  m'attendent  la-bas  dans  l'autre 
monde,"  she  often  said,  "pour  que  je  craigne  d'y 
aller,"  adding,  "C'est  la  foi  seule  qui  donne  le 
courage  de  mourir."  * 

Eugenie  expressed  a  perfect  craving  for  sun- 
shine and  the  brightness  and  warmth  of  the  sunny 
South.  In  her  depressed  state  the  dull  sunless 
English  winters  tried  her  very  much.2     Concern- 

i"  There  are  too  many  loved  ones  awaiting  me  there  in  the 
other  world,"  she  often  said,  "  for  me  to  dread  going,"  adding,  "  It 
if  Faith  alone  that  gives  one  the  courage  to  die." 

»Sbe  later  bought  land  at  Cap  Martin,  Alpes  Maritimes,  not 

338 


REMINISCENCES 

ing  her  unhappy,  restless  state  of  mind  and  her 
projets  de  voyage  for  the  immediate  future,  she 
once  remarked:  "Je  suis  comme  un  corps  sans 
ame.  Aussitot  arrivee  j'ai  hate  de  partir  de  nou- 
veau.  Helas!  comme  je  suis  changed  Autre- 
fois je  faisais  des  itineraires  de  voyage,  pour  le 
seul  plaisir  de  les  faire;  j'allais  en  imagination 
aux  Indes,  au  Pole  Nord, — n'importe  ou,  tout 
etait  indique,  meme  les  heures,  et  je  savais  bien 
pourtant  que  jamais  je  ne  pourrais  realiser  ces 
reves ! — Mais,  cela  m'amusait !"  * 

Referring  one  day  to  nervous  fear,  the  Em- 
press recalled  with  some  amazement  that  during 
the  twenty  years  of  her  reign  she  had  experienced 
not  the  least  feeling  of  apprehension,  in  spite  of 
four  attentats.  On  driving  daily  out  of  the 
Tuileries  gates,  Eugenie  never  knew  if  she  would 
reenter  them  alive,  but  still  she  did  not  dwell  on 
dangers,  though  so  continually  surrounded  by 
them.     Their    very    frequency,    she    observed, 

far  from  Mentone  and  Monte  Carlo,  and  built  a  delightful  villa, 
"Cyrnos,"  where  she  spent  the  winter  months. 

i "  I  am  like  a  soulless  body, —  nothing  pleases  me  now.  Alas, 
how  I  have  changed!  Formerly  I  planned  itineraries  for  the  sole 
pleasure  of  dreaming  over  such  imaginary  journeys, —  to  India, 
to  the  North  Pole,  anywhere  in  fact, —  with  hours  and  practical 
details  all  worked  out,  though  I  knew  perfectly  well  that  I  should 
never  be  able  to  realize  my  dreams. —  But  it  amused  me." 

339 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

seemed  at  the  time  to  blunt  her  to  the  sense  of 
their  reality,  and  though  she  was  often  much 
lauded  for  her  wonderful  courage,  she  consid- 
ered there  was  no  real  merit  in  being  undismayed 
by  danger  in  those  days  when  she  was  physically 
strong.  Real  fear  only  came  to  her  after  many 
distressing  experiences  had  weakened  her  nerves. 
"At  present  [1886],"  I  quote  her  from  my  own 
notes  as  saying,  "on  the  slightest  pretext  I  al- 
ways apprehend  the  worst  about  everything ;  con- 
jure up  in  my  imagination  terrible  scenes  of  fire, 
disaster,  etc."  She  told  us  later  about  certain 
foolhardy  risks  she  had  formerly  taken  in  her 
disdain  of  fear.  In  one  instance  in  particular, 
I  remember,  she  had  lighted  lamps  put  inside  the 
state  carriage  with  its  many  windows,  thereby 
unnecessarily  courting  danger  in  troublous  times. 
In  the  days  of  the  Empire  when  her  public 
day's  work  was  done,  after  going  to  her  bed- 
room and  dismissing  her  maids,  the  Empress 
told  me  it  was  her  custom  every  night  to  read 
through  the  reports  of  the  secret  police  service. 
This  was  certainly  not  very  soothing  or  appro- 
priate to  the  late  hour,  but  by  nightly  plodding 
through  these  lengthy  documents  she  was  en- 

340 


REMINISCENCES 

abled  several  times  to  avert  disaster,  notably  once 
when  she  saved  the  life  of  the  Czar  of  Russia 
when  returning  from  the  opera.  This  was  on 
the  eve  of  a  subsequent  attempt  to  shoot  him  on 
the  way  back  from  the  races  at  Longchamps  in 
the  summer  of  1869.  It  had  been  arranged  that 
the  Czar  and  the  imperial  party  should  separate 
after  the  performance,  each  with  their  suites  go- 
ing direct  to  their  respective  dwellings.  The 
Empress,  however,  through  the  secret  service  got 
wind  of  a  plan  to  assassinate  the  Czar  that  par- 
ticular night,  and  made  a  change  in  the  pre- 
arranged program,  she  herself  bravely  taking 
him  home  to  the  Elysee  Palace  in  her  own  bril- 
liantly lighted  carriage.  When  arrested,  Bere- 
zowski,  the  Pole,  confessed  that  when  he  saw  a 
woman  accompanying  his  would-be  victim,  he  de- 
cided to  postpone  his  plan  until  next  day.1 

The  Empress  always  expressed  an  utter  scorn 
and  no  mercy  for  physical  cowardice,  but  her  nat- 
ural sympathy  made  her  kind  and  even  tender  to 
those  who  were  really  suffering.  Conversely, 
she  approved  of  endurance  to  physical  pain,  and 

i  Berezowski's  design  was  again  frustrated  and  the  Czar  again 
shielded,  this  time  by  the  courage  and  devotion  of  M.  Rainbeaux, 
the  Emperor's  Master  of  the  Horse. 

341 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

explained  how  years  ago  she  often  herself  suf- 
fered much,  without  being  able  of  course  to  give 
way  to  it.  She  recalled  one  special  evening, 
while  being  dressed  for  some  great  court  func- 
tion. Tired  out  by  the  effort  of  many  hours' 
resistance  to  violent  pain,  and  literally  unable 
to  bear  it  any  longer,  she  finally  got  down  on 
the  floor  and  rolled  in  a  paroxysm  of  agony  for 
a  minute, — then  making  a  supreme  effort  at  self- 
control  again  sat  up  stoically  in  her  chair,  while 
her  maids  dressed  her  hair  and  adjusted  her  heavy 
diadem,  all  the  while  feeling  more  dead  than  alive. 
At  such  times  it  was  that  her  early  training  stood 
her  in  good  stead.  She  was  enabled  through  it 
to  pull  herself  together,  go  smilingly  downstairs 
to  the  tedious  state  ceremony,  and  behave  as  if 
nothing  were  wrong.  She  offered  this  experi- 
ence as  an  example  of  what  will-power  and  ne- 
cessity can  do  for  one. 

Real  love  of  music,  excepting  perhaps  a  most 
superficial  kind,  had  been  left  out  of  the  French 
Empress,  I  think,  in  spite  of  the  drooping  eye- 
lids generally  supposed  to  be  indicative  of  musi- 
cal temperament  and  ability, — but,  on  the  other 
hand,    her    literary    and    artistic    tastes    were 

342 


REMINISCENCES 

strongly  developed.  She  drew,  and  painted  in 
water  colors  artistically,  and  embroidered  most 
beautifully. 

Speaking  about  Sevres  china,  while  showing 
us  some,  she  said:  "Je  m'y  connais  bien,  ayant 
ete  marchande,  pour  ainsi  dire,  pendant  tant 
d'annees,  car  l'Empereur  m'avait  donne  la  per- 
mission de  surveiller  les  travaux,  de  commander 
les  cadeaux,  et  de  faire  copier  les  beaux  modeles 
pour  les  palais."  *  During  her  regime  they  al- 
ternately employed  as  director  of  the  celebrated 
factory  an  artist  and  a  chemist,  to  keep  up  the 
balance  between  art  and  craft.  Just  before  the 
Franco-Prussian  War  a  dinner  service  had  been 
ordered  for  the  Palais  de  Fontainebleau.  The 
design  being  copied  was  from  a  very  fine  old  set 
of  the  reign  of  Henri  II.  Unfinished  when  hos- 
tilities broke  out,  the  Germans  among  other 
things  took  possession  of  this  uncompleted  set. 
Years  later,  when  making  a  visit  to  the  Due  de 
Bade,  the  Empress  got  quite  a  turn,  at  seeing 
this  lovely  service  placed  before  her  on  the  din- 

i  ■  I  understand  it  well  as  I  have  been  in  the  business,  so  to 
speak,  for  many  years,  for  the  Emperor  had  given  me  permission 
to  supervise  the  working  of  the  factories,  to  order  the  official  gifts, 
and  to  have  the  most  beautiful  specimens  copied  for  the  different 
palaces." 

343 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ner  table.  The  Duke  of  Hamilton,1  by  the  way, 
bought  one  piece  (and  that  a  broken  one)  of  the 
same  set  for  the  enormous  sum  of  50,000  francs 
to  add  to  his  collection. 

The  Empress  showed  always  a  tremendous  ad- 
miration, a  veneration  even,  for  the  heroes  of  her 
native  land.  Her  mind  fired  by  the  thrilling 
tales  of  Spain  told  her  by  Prosper  Merimee,  she 
often  fancied  herself  emulating  their  chivalrous 
deeds  even  from  her  earliest  infancy,  and  spoke 
of  them  with  great  enthusiasm.  She  knew  the 
history  of  Spain  most  thoroughly  and  was  al- 
ways indignant  and  shocked  when  her  com- 
patriots were  not  equally  well  posted. 

Great  care  about  the  cleanliness  of  her  hands 
was  a  little  idiosyncracy  of  hers,  though  not 
afraid  to  use  them  freely,  and  very  dexterous  in 
everything  she  undertook  with  them.  She 
laughed  at  me  because  I  outdid  her  in  this  re- 
spect and  predicted  that  I  would  rub  my  hands 
to  pieces.  She  was  perfectly  sure,  moreover,  that 
when  I  went  to  Purgatory,  one  of  my  trials 
there  would  be  a  total  deprivation  of  soap  and 
water. 

i  Duchess  of  Hamilton  had  been  Princesse  Marie  de  Bade. 

344 


REMINISCENCES 

As  I  knew  the  Empress  she  seemed  to  have  a 
quick,  restless,  insatiable  mind,  welcomed  any 
new  interest,  and  worked  very  hard  (in  self-de- 
fense, she  said)  as  the  best  means  to  guard 
against  sad  memories,  which  would  otherwise  ob- 
trude themselves.  Fond  of  literature,  she  kept 
up  with  all  current  French  writing,  which  she 
talked  over  and  criticized  in  a  clear,  analytical 
manner. 

Naturally  industrious  by  habit,  she  rarely  sat 
with  her  hands  idle  before  her,  but  filled  up  odd 
moments  puzzling  out  jetuv  de  patience ,  or  busily 
clicking  her  knitting  needles.  She  was  very  fond 
of  making  simple  woolen  "charity -jackets," 
which  she  often  gave  to  friends,  or  wore  herself 
on  chilly  mornings.  One  she  knitted  for  me,  and 
I  regret  the  thoughtless  stupidity  which  allowed 
me  to  give  it  away  some  months  after,  when  dis- 
posing of  clothing  no  longer  in  actual  use. 

Many  hours  every  day  my  hostess  usually 
spent  by  herself  in  her  salon  de  travail,  arrang- 
ing and  classifying  her  interesting  historical  docu- 
ments, or  attending  to  her  enormous  correspond- 
ence. The  Empress  always  opened  all  letters 
herself  and  laid  them  in  different  piles  according 

345 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

to  their  nature,  throwing  away  the  envelopes. 
She  then  read  all  the  communications  through 
carefully,  making  marginal  notes, — "Accept," 
"Refuse,"  or  "Investigate."  Thus  sorted,  these 
missives  were  divided  up  between  her  secretary, 
M.  Franceschini  Pietri  and  her  faithful  friend 
and  companion,  Mme.  Le  Breton.  He  attended 
to  the  business  letters,  and  she  answered  the  so- 
cial ones  and  all  kinds  of  personal  communica- 
tions from  friends,  besides  special  appeals  and 
begging  letters,  which  poured  in  daily  in  great 
quantities. 

Sometimes  when  there  were  letters,  which  for 
some  special  reason  the  Empress  had  to  answer 
in  English,  she  would  ask  me  to  read  them  over 
and  correct  them.  This  was  not  an  agreeable 
task,  for  when  I  showed  her  the  mistakes  she  did 
not  relish  it,  and  argued  the  subject  in  question 
from  an  absolutely  foreign  point  of  view.  When 
I  found,  that  in  spite  of  all  I  could  urge,  she 
really  held  very  much  to  her  own  opinion,  I 
modified  my  standard  of  correction,  not  attempt- 
ing to  Anglicize  more  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  plain  understanding  of  the  sentences, 

346 


REMINISCENCES 

< 

and  purposely  overlooking  finer  points  she  evi- 
dently could  not  or  would  not  grasp. 

To  sovereigns  she  always  penned  her  letters 
herself,  but  very  few  others,  so  it  was  a  most 
exceptional  honor  to  receive  a  letter  written  in 
her  own  hand,  and  she  was  always  (and  with 
ample  cause)  very  chary  of  her  signature.  To 
Queen  Victoria  and  Princess  Beatrice  she  wrote 
frequently,  and  always  in  French,  and  the  Prin- 
cess's answers  were  addressed  to  Ma  chere  Tante. 
French  was  the  tongue  usually  spoken  at  Farn- 
borough,1  but  the  Empress  sometimes  whispered 
little  asides  to  me  in  English,  or  to  Mme.  Le 
Breton  in  Spanish.  Eugenie's  language  was 
flowing  and  elegant,  and  her  pronunciation 
charming,  but  there  were  certain  French  words 
to  which  she  gave  a  decidedly  harsh  Spanish  in- 
tonation. English  she  spoke  exactly  like  a  for- 
eigner, often  using  thoroughly  French  idioms. 
One  would  never  have  dreamed  that  she  had 

i  In  conversation  with  the  Empress  we  always  answered  her, 
"  Oui,  Madame,"  or  "  Non,  Madame."  In  questioning  we  used 
the  third  person,  thus:  "Sa  Majesty  d£sire-t-elle  telle  ou  telle 
chose?"  or  "L'Impe>atrice  sait-elle  que  .  .  .?" — usual  forms  of 
speech  which  I  found  extremely  difficult  to  remember  and  to  adjust 
myself  to  during  the  first  days  at  Farnborough. 

347 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

spent  so  many  years  of  her  life  since  1870  in 
England,  and  had  as  a  girl  been  at  school  for  a 
time  at  Taunton,  and  had  in  addition  inherited 
through  her  mother's  father,  William  Kirkpat- 
rick  (1764-1837),  much  English  and  Scottish 
blood. 

Her  love  and  habit  of  being  amiable,  and  say- 
ing pleasant  things,  made  her  instinctively  shirk 
disagreeable  situations.  When  some  unpleasant 
duty  (a  refusal  or  anything  of  that  nature)  be- 
came necessary,  she  rarely  undertook  the  task 
herself;  it  generally  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mme.  Le 
Breton  or  M.  Pietri.  In  a  word,  she  hated  to 
be  annoyed  or  coerced,  and  in  order  to  get  out 
of  a  difficulty  without  facing  tiresome  situations, 
she  often  made  use  of  slight  subterfuges,  which 
seemed,  perhaps,  more  ingenious  than  strictly 
direct. 

Eugenie  genuinely  loved  nature,  out-of-door 
life  and  exercise,  and  was  fond  of  horses  and  big 
dogs  in  their  proper  sphere.  Fern,  the  Scotch 
collie  given  her  by  the  Queen,  was  a  great  fa- 
vorite; but  she  disliked  spoiled  house-pets  in- 
tensely. In  speaking  one  day  with  much  disap- 
proval of  women  who  devote  themselves  body 

348 


REMINISCENCES 

and  soul  to  their  pets,  she  told  us  with  evident 
disgust  about  Comtesse  F.'s  white  donkey,  which 
its  mistress  actually  kept  in  her  Paris  drawing- 
room  in  a  secluded  corner  behind  a  gilded  rail- 
ing, and  was  cared  for  unceasingly  by  a  brilliantly 
robed  Egyptian  attendant. 

The  Empress,  naturally  enough,  liked  to  be 
well  thought  of,  but  there  was  often  apparent  a 
queer  mixture  of  strong  innate  independence  of 
character  with  what  might  have  seemed  a  rather 
weak  and  meaningless  deference  to  public  opin- 
ion, had  one  not  realized  that  she  was  even  in 
her  exile  the  representative  of  a  great  cause, 
which  she  might  injure  by  any  injudicious  act. 
Obliged  as  she  had  been,  when  on  the  throne, 
to  respect  public  opinion,  the  habit  seemed  to 
have  clung  to  her,  very  much  hampering  her 
freedom  of  action.  There  were  many  things 
she  would  have  enjoyed  doing,  but  although  in 
1886  French  opinion  could  have  been  of  abso- 
lutely no  practical  importance  to  her,  she  still 
could  not  bring  herself  to  ignore  it.  Here  is  an 
example:  One  day  passing  through  the  gallery 
leading  to  the  chapel,  we  were  looking  at  some 
pictures  on  the  walls,  a  series  representing  differ- 

349 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ent  battleships.  Beside  them  was  an  engraving 
of  the  Imperial  yacht,  I/Aigle.  In  front  of  this 
the  Empress  paused  suddenly,  and  pointing  to 
it  said  rather  sadly,  "Voila,  mes  enfants,  de  tous 
les  biens  materiels,  ce  que  je  regrette  le  plus. 
C'est  meme  la  seule  chose,  je  puis  dire  [Of  all 
my  lost  possessions,  this  is  what  I  regret  most, — 
indeed,  I  may  say  the  only  thing  I  regret]." 
She  constantly  referred  to  her  yacht,  and  to  her 
great  wish  to  go  cruising  about  from  place  to 
place  indefinitely.  In  her  restless  condition,  that 
would  have  seemed  to  her  the  height  of  bliss. 
Some  one  remarked  on  one  occasion,  that  it  was 
quite  within  her  power  to  do  this,  and  asked 
her  why,  with  such  an  insatiable  longing  for  that 
kind  of  life,  she  did  not  buy  a  yacht.  She  re- 
plied that  the  French  people  would  never  under- 
stand a  woman's  choosing  the  sea  without  neces- 
sity. They  would  put  her  down  at  once  as  un- 
balanced, and  though  she  knew  it  was  foolish  to 
mind  what  they  thought,  she  could  not  help  be- 
ing sensitive  to  it.1     Then  she  added  thought- 

i  In  1896  she  evidently  steeled  her  mind  against  herself,  since 
M.  Pietri  wrote  me,  rejoicing  that  she  had  bought  the  R.  Y.  S. 

350 


REMINISCENCES 

fully,  and  with  a  little  arch  look  and  almost  im- 
perceptible smile:  "Quand  on  a  tou jours  du 
penser  a  l'opinion  publique,  on  ne  peut  plus  s'en 
emanciper,  et  on  devient  a  la  longue  comme  une 
vielle  coquette,  qui  continue  jusqu'a  la  fin  a  co- 
quetter!"1 

When  Eugenie  went  about  with  us,  where  the 
public  could  see  her,  she  very  much  disliked  be- 
ing followed  and  stared  at,  as  was  invariably  the 
case.  Still  I  think  that  in  her  innermost  heart, 
had  people  not  recognized  her,  or  had  they  been 
indifferent  to  her  presence,  she  would  not  have 
relished  that  either. 

The  Empress  constantly  condemned  the  love 
of  display  which  young  people  indulge  in  nowa- 
days, regardless  of  their  often  limited  incomes. 
She  hated  also  extravagance,  and  eccentricity  of 
all  kinds.  Her  greatest  fear  was  to  be  thought 
exaggerated  or  affected.  She  so  disliked  these 
traits  in  others  that  I  noticed  she  herself  some- 

Thistle,  a  steam-yacht  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  and 
that   an   improvement  in  her  health  had  resulted  immediately. 

n  "When  one  always  has  had  to  take  into  consideration  public 
opinion,  one  can  no  longer  emancipate  oneself  from  it,  and  one 
becomes  in  the  end,  like  the  old  coquette,  who  continues  to  flirt 
to  the  end  of  her  days." 

351 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

times  gave  up  doing  little  kindly  acts,  which  sug- 
gested themselves  spontaneously,  because  they 
might  have  seemed  forced  or  unreal. 

She  was  very  methodical  and  orderly  in  all 
household  and  business  matters,  and  in  fact  in 
everything,  and  was  also  most  punctual,  and  nat- 
urally liked  everybody  else  to  live  up  to  her  own 
standards.  An  excellent  head  for  arithmetic, 
and  loving  on  the  slightest  provocation  to  work 
out  mental  calculations,  she  kept  a  quick  intelli- 
gent interest,  too,  in  all  that  was  going  on  in  the 
political  and  scientific  world,  and  through  the 
papers  and  most  up  to  date  literature,  followed 
everything  as  far  as  possible.  She  had  evidently, 
however,  no  deep  scientific  knowledge,  though  at 
first  one  might  have  been  misled  into  thinking  so. 
This  was  due,  I  fancy,  to  her  wonderful  power  of 
quick  assimilation.  At  the  Tuileries  she  had 
been  long  in  contact  with  the  minds  of  all  the 
great  thinkers  of  France  and  Europe ;  she  was  a 
good  listener  with  a  retentive  memory,  and  be- 
ing a  brilliant  talker  besides,  she  unconsciously 
gave  out  as  her  own  what  she  had  absorbed  from 
other  brains,  thus  impressing  her  casual  hearers 
with  what  seemed  to  be  the  result  of  her  own 

852 


REMINISCENCES 

thought.  After  a  time,  by  close  observation  and 
comparison,  the  superficial  nature  of  her  science 
came  to  light.  This  judgment  of  mine  was  cor- 
roborated by  Mme.  Le  Breton,  who  in  twenty- 
five  years  of  the  closest  intimacy,  had  learned  to 
know  Her  Imperial  Mistress  through  and 
through. 

The  Empress  had  a  most  agreeable  way  of 
telling  things,  but  her  statements  may  possibly 
have  been  sometimes  a  little  more  picturesque 
than  accurate.  A  regular  daughter  of  Eve  her- 
self, and  full  of  curiosity,  she  put  one  entirely  at 
ease  by  her  affectionate  familiarity,  and  in  con- 
versation drew  one  out  in  spite  of  everything. 
She  possessed  a  wonderfully  quick  eye  to  notice 
detail,  an  instinctive  penetration  of  the  charac- 
ters of  people  about  her,  and  an  almost  uncanny 
perception  in  reading  their  secret  motives.,  Woe 
betide  you  if  you  had  something  that  you  wished 
to  conceal  and  she  to  know,  for  she  would  lead 
the  conversation  with  so  much  politeness,  so  clev- 
erly, so  directly,  that  she  invariably  succeeded  in 
her  aim. 

A  love  of  detail  combined  with  a  natural  exec- 
utive ability  which  constantly  demanded  an  out- 

353 


**«*.. 


\ 

EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

let,  was  another  of  the  Empress's  qualities.  In 
former  days  on  the  throne,  her  overflow  of  energy 
had  taken  the  form  of  very  estimable  charities, 
such  as  reformatory  farms,  trade-schools, 
asylums,  prisons,  etc.,  all  of  which  she  organized 
minutely,  and  supervised  personally,  accomplish- 
ing thereby  a  great  deal  of  good.  She  told  us  of 
some  experiences  she  had  had  with  women  pris- 
oners, half  demented  with  wickedness,  rage  and 
despair,  and  of  their  rapid  change  to  gentle,  af- 
fectionate docility  after  her  visits  to  the  prison 
and  friendly  tete-a-tete  interviews  with  these 
poor  outcasts,  to  whom  apparently  no  one  had 
ever  before  been  kind.  This  seemingly  miracu- 
lous success,  due  probably  to  her  charm  and 
beauty,  led  up  to  the  reforms  instituted  by  her 
later  on.  The  statistical  history  of  the  imperial 
reign  is  teeming  with  accounts  of  these  reforms, 
which  could  be  counted  by  the  hundreds,  and 
which  apart  from  the  other  duties  of  the  state 
machinery  alone  prove  the  activity  and  working 
power  of  the  sovereigns.  During  the  time  at 
Farnborough  about  which  I  write,  this  unspent 
energy,  for  lack  of  a  wider  field,  rather  forced 
her  into  taking  much  personal  interest  in  the 

354 


REMINISCENCES 

members  of  her  entourage.  Always  fond  of 
bringing  about  love  matches  and  busying  herself 
in  the  minute  details  of  other  people's  lives,  plan- 
ning and  arranging  things  for  them,  she  was  very 
proud  of  her  achievement  whenever  a  marriage 
of  her  making  turned  out  happily,  as  it  often  did. 
Her  phenomenal  memory  which,  through  the 
exigencies  of  a  sovereign's  position,  she  had  culti- 
vated and  thereby  increased  to  an  extraordinary 
degree,  must  have  been  invaluable  to  her  when 
on  the  throne.  When  I  knew  her  in  1886,  she 
remembered  the  tiniest  details,  and  took  an  in- 
terest in  people  she  had  never  even  seen,  retain- 
ing minute  facts  about  them  that  placed  them 
forevermore  in  her  memory.  I  had  occasion  to 
prove  this  in  subsequent  visits  with  her,  by  in- 
quiries concerning  friends  of  mine,  and  to  real- 
ize that  in  this  particular  she  rivaled  her  friend 
Queen  Victoria,  who  possessed  a  similarly  royal 
gift.  Eugenie  always  spoke  in  the  most  glowing 
terms  of  the  Queen  of  England  and  her  steadfast 
friendship,  which  was  thoroughly  appreciated,  as 
indeed  was  any  token  of  genuine  affection.  She 
often  expressed  an  immense  admiration  for  Vic- 
toria's sterling  qualities,  quiet  strength,  and  plod- 

355 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

ding  persistence,  which  made  a  successful  sover- 
eign of  a  sincere  and  unaffected  woman,  while 
she  regretfully  admitted  that  she  who  had  been 
considered  a  most  brilliant  woman  had  finally 
through  unfortunate  circumstances  failed  to 
achieve  her  life's  mission. 

Never  once  did  I  hear  Her  Imperial  Majesty 
say  anything  disparaging  or  resentful  about  the 
French  nation.  In  spite  of  all  she  had  endured 
at  its  hands,  she  remained  proudly  fond  of  it,  and 
in  1886  she  was  continuing  most  of  her  former 
public  charities,  with  the  only  difference  that  at 
this  date,  of  course,  her  donations  came  out  of 
her  private  purse.  "Others  need  not  suffer  and 
lose  because  I  have  done  so,"  she  said  to  me  one 
day,  referring  to  her  still  active  love  for  France. 
She  possessed  quite  a  large  fortune  and  was  most 
generous  with  it  in  large  ways,  though  not  always 
in  small,  everyday  things  of  life.1 

The  Empress's  religious  feeling  was  warm  and 
real,  and  came  to  her  both  by  inheritance  and 
training.  I  am  sure  it  had  been  a  genuine  com- 
fort to  her  in  times  of  stress,  though  perhaps  a 

1 1  was  told  at  Farnborough,  on  good  authority,  that  she  had 
at  the  time  about  25,000  pounds  a  year, 

356 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON  III 


REMINISCENCES 

little  emotional,  and  not  without  a  slight  poetic 
tinge  of  southern  superstition.  She  was  almost 
Oriental  in  her  strong  belief  in  fatality,  and  cer- 
tainly Kismet  did  seem  to  have  been,  for  good 
or  evil,  a  power  in  her  eventful  life. 

But  the  deepest  sentiment  of  all  in  her  whole 
being  had  been  undoubtedly  her  love  for  her 
son.  This  was  unimpeachable,  though  her  very 
anxiety  for  his  perfection  and  the  honor  of  his 
name  had  made  her  over-exacting  with  him,  and 
had  probably  caused  the  affectionate  though  chiv- 
alrous youth  to  seek  a  wider  horizon  of  action 
than  his  home,  that  he  might  show  his  romantic 
mother  of  what  he  was  capable.  I  gathered 
these  facts  from  Mme.  Le  Breton  and  others, 
when  speaking  of  the  Prince  Imperial's  departure 
for  Zululand. 

The  Empress  did  not  in  my  hearing  talk  very 
often  about  her  husband,  but  whatever  she  did 
say  always  showed  a  loyalty  and  respect  which 
did  her  credit.  Whatever  his  failings  toward  her 
had  been,  she  professed  a  warm  admiration  for 
his  love  of  hard  work,  his  pluck,  and  his  great 
kindness  of  heart  and  thoughtfulness  for  every- 
one.    The  Emperor  genuinely  loved  the  poor 

357 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  humble  among  his  subjects,  and  with  no 
thought  of  policy.  He  was  too  good  and  gener- 
ous for  his  people's  understanding.  Had  he 
been  tyrannical,  and  made  use  of  them  and  tram- 
pled them  down,  like  some  other  sovereigns, 
they  would  have  behaved  better  toward  him, — 
so,  at  least,  thought  the  Empress. 

Apropos  of  the  Emperor,  she  told  us  on  an- 
other occasion  that  he  once  remarked  in  a  speech : 
"Mes  amis  ne  sont  pas  dans  les  chateaux, — ils 
sont  dans  les  chaumieres  [My  friends  live  not  in 
castles,  but  in  cottages],"  and  that,  she  added, 
was  an  absolute  truth.  He  was  a  dreamer  and 
devoted  much  of  his  time  to  planning  with  much 
sincerity  for  their  benefit  and  for  that  of  all  man- 
kind. His  life's  ambition  was  to  better  their  lot. 
He  had  great  personal  magnetism,  especially 
with  the  laboring  classes.  Once  at  a  workman's 
ball  the  guests  were  all  grumbling  and  when  the 
Emperor  attempted  to  speak,  kept  calling  out 
sullenly,  "L' Armistice !  l'armistice!"  and  their 
gestures  at  last  became  quite  threatening.  The 
Emperor's  firmness  saved  his  life.  From  the 
platform  where  he  stood,  he  cried  out  with  a  tone 
of  thunder:     "Taisez-vous!"     It  was  enough, — 

358 


REMINISCENCES 

at  the  sound  of  his  voice  they  dropped  their  hos- 
tile atitude  at  once,  and  became  amenable  and 
even  friendly. 

The  Empress  once  mentioned  another  incident, 
showing  how  her  husband's  personal  pluck 
pleased  and  impressed  the  people,  and  she  told 
it  with  evident  pride  in  him.  I  give  her  own 
words  according  to  my  notes:  "Promenade  en 
voiture  en  temps  difficiles,  pendant  un  embarras 
de  voitures,  les  passants  montraient  tout  le  temps 
le  poing  dans  le  visage  de  l'Empereur,  qui  ne 
bronchait  pas.  Effet  morale  de  son  courage  qui 
triomphe ; —  les  mecontents  disaient  en  se  retirant 
penauds  et  convertis,  et  en  montrant  du  doigt  les 
Souverains,  'Ceux-ci  au  moins  n'ont  pas  froid 
aux  yeux!'  " x 

The  Empress  instantaneously  charmed  every 
stranger  always,  but  the  Emperor,  I  believe,  was 
really  much  more  personally  and  deeply  loved  by 
his  entourage  than  was  his  consort.  This  I  gath- 
ered, and  it  was  often  attested  to  (indirectly  and 

i "  A  drive  in  troublous  times  during  a  block  in  the  traffic,  the 
passers-by  clenched  their  fists  in  the  face  of  the  Emperor,  who 
remained  unmoved.  The  moral  effect  of  the  courage  which 
triumphs.  The  malcontents  while  slinking  away  abashed  and 
converted,  pointed  to  the  sovereigns,  and  said,  'They  at  least 
know  no  fear.' " 

359 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

in  a  delicate  way)  by  the  very  evident  and  gen- 
uine enthusiasm  shown  by  Mme.  Le  Breton  and 
M.  Pietri,  and  even  by  the  faithful  old  Due  de 
Bassano,  every  time  there  was  a  chance  of  speak- 
ing of  the  dead  Emperor.  Mme.  Le  Breton's 
face  used  to  light  up  as  she  said  to  me:  "Ah! 
ma  petite,  vous  auriez  du  connaitre  l'Empereur. 
Ah,  en  voila  un  qui  etait  vraiment  bon  pour 
tous !"  1 — and  she  never  tired  of  telling  of  his 
constant  acts  of  friendliness  and  courtesy,  which, 
with  his  hard  working  perseverance  and  wonder- 
ful faith  in  his  star,  were  according  to  her,  his 
strongest  characteristics. 

"On  a  toujours  parle  contre  moi,"  the  Em- 
press said  one  day,  while  I  was  helping  her  to 
arrange  and  classify  her  documents,  and  add  the 
year's  accumulation  to  her  already  wonderful 
collection.  She  let  me  read  some  of  them,  and 
the  sight  of  well  known  handwriting  brought  up 
all  her  memories  and  associations.  She  ex- 
claimed, "Meme  avant  mon  mariage  on  a  dit  tout 
le  mal  possible  sur  mon  compte.  Si  j'  avais  ete 
tout  ce  qu'on  a  dit  d'horrible  de  moi  ou  meme  la 

i"Ah,  my  dear,  you  ought  to  have  known  the  Emperor.    Ah, 
there  was  a  man  truly  kind  to  all." 

360 


REMINISCENCES 

centieme  partie,  j'aurais  ete  une  horr^ur,  et  je  le 
serai  probablement  restee  plus  ou  moins  en  bien 
des  choses  encore  a  l'heure  qu'il  est.  On  m'a 
traitee  de  Vieille  folle,'  d'extravagante,  etc. 
Quant  a  cette  derniere  accusation  j'  etais  obligee, 
vous  le  comprenez,  dans  les  interets  du  commerce, 
d'acheter  constamment  ce  que  personellement  je 
ne  desirais  pas  du  tout.  Les  plaintes  et  les  de- 
mandes  des  fabricants  de  Lyon  et  d'  autres  villes, 
me  priant  de  mettre  tel  ou  tel  velours,  telle  soie, 
ou  telle  dentelle  a  la  mode,  etaient  continuelles, — 
et  ne  pouvaient  etre  ignorees.  Ces  toilettes 
commandees  par  devoir  je  les  appellais  mes  'toil- 
ettes politiques.' 

"En  fait,  de  toilette  particuliere,  personne  n'a 
ete  moins  gaspilleuse  que  moi.  Je  depensais  il 
est  vrai  une  grande  somme  mensuelle,  mais  pas 
autant  que  beaucoup  de  dames  de  ma  cour,  qui 
n'ayant  certes  pas  les  memes  obligations,  depen- 
saient  follement  sans  risques  d*etre  critiquees. 
Moi  du  moins  j'avais  tou jours  de  la  methode  et 
de  l'ordre.  Je  donnais  tous  les  premiers  du  mois 
a  Pepita,  ma  tresoriere  d'alors,  une  certaine 
somme  d'argent;  elle  pouvait  s'arranger  comme 
elle  voulait,  mais  jamais  je  ne  lui  en  fournissais 

361 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

da  vantage.  S'il  me  fallait  selon  elle  acheter  une 
autre  toilette  ou  un  objet  quelconque,  et  s'il  n'y 
avait  plus  d'argent  dans  la  cassette,  je  me  passais 
de  cet  objet  en  depit  de  sa  mauvais  humeur.  Par 
consequent,  malgre  ma  fuite  precipitee,  et  avec 
une  liste  civile  de  millions  de  francs,  je  n'  ai 
laissee  pour  ainsi  dire,  presque  pas  de  dettes  a 
Paris,  car  toute  note  personelle  se  reglait  le  pre- 
mier du  mois  de  la  facon  la  plus  bourgeoise."  * 

i "  People  have  always  spoken  ill  of  me."  "  Even  before  my 
marriage  they  said  all  possible  evil  of  me.  Had  I  been  really 
all  the  horrible  things  they  said  I  was,  or  even  the  hundredth  part, 
I  should  have  been  a  horror  then,  and  I  should  have  remained  so 
probably  in  many  particulars  even  now.  Amongst  other  things 
they  called  me  'vieille  folle'  and  loudly  censured  my  extravagance. 
Concerning  this  last  accusation  you  will  readily  see  I  was  con- 
stantly obliged  in  the  interest  of  trade  to  buy  things  I  personally 
did  not  wish  for  at  all.  The  complaints  and  applications  from 
the  manufacturers  of  Lyons  and  other  towns  (begging  me  to  set 
the  fashion  in  a  certain  velvet  or  silk,  or  lace)  were  constant  and 
could  not  be  ignored.  These  duty  dresses  I  used  to  call  my  '  toil- 
ettes politiques.'  As  to  my  dresses  in  private  life,  nobody  could 
have  been  less  wasteful  than  I.  It  is  true  I  spent  monthly  a  large 
sum  on  dress,  but  not  half  as  much  as  some  of  the  ladies  of  my 
court,  who  though  they  had  not  the  same  obligations  as  to  appear- 
ance spent  recklessly.  I  at  least  spent  with  deliberation  and 
method.  I  gave  on  the  1st  of  each  month  to  P6pita  (my  private 
treasurer  at  the  time)  a  certain  sum  of  money.  Pepita  might  do 
the  best  she  could  with  it,  but  never  did  I  add  any  more.  If  she 
wished  me  to  buy  some  extra  garment  or  any  thing  else,  and  there 
was  no  more  money  left,  I  went  without  it,  in  spite  of  her  appeals 
and  subsequent  expressions  of  annoyance.  Consequently,  not- 
withstanding my  sudden  flight  and  though  with  a  civil  list  of  mil- 
lions of  francs,  I  hardly  left  any  personal  debts  in  Paris  worth 
mentioning,  for  every  bill  of  mine  was  paid  regularly  the  1st.  of 
the  month  in  the  most  bourgeois  fashion." 

362 


REMINISCENCES 

Both  from  her  own  statements  to  me  about 
herself,  at  different  times,  and  from  the  testi- 
mony of  persons  who  saw  her  daily  at  the  Palace 
of  the  Tuileries  when  the  Empire  was  at  the 
height  of  its  prosperity  and  glitter,  I  believe  her 
reputation  for  extravagant  dressing  to  be  alto- 
gether false.  Of  course  at  public  functions  she 
had  to  be  elegantly  and  even  magnificently 
dressed,  and  her  radiant  beauty  enhanced  the 
brilliance  of  her  appearance.  These  facts  taken 
in  connection  with  the  jealousy  and  envy  of  less 
favored  persons,  seem  enough  in  themselves  to 
have  created  and  confirmed  the  damning  accusa- 
tions which  did  her  so  much  harm,  and  made  such 
a  lasting  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  French 
people.  Besides  which,  when  defeated  and  hu- 
miliated by  Germany,  they  found  it  hard  to  for- 
give those  in  power,  and  vented  their  wrath  on 
their  sovereigns,  to  whom  they  attributed  all  the 
disasters  of  war. 

My  own  observations  at  Farnborough  abso- 
lutely coincide  with  what  Mme.  Carette  (who 
had  lived  at  the  Tuileries  for  several  years  as 
lectrice,  and  later  as  Dame  du  Palais)  says  on 

363 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

the  subject  in  her  Souvenirs  Intimes  de  la  Cour 
des  Tuileries.  It  elucidates  the  vexed  question, 
I  think. 

"Chaque  jour,"  she  writes  (page  165),  "chez 
Elle,  aux  Tuileries  comme  dans  les  autres  resi- 
dences, rimperatrice  etait  simplement  vetue, 
avec  beaucoup  moins  de  recherche  que  ne  le  sont 
aujourd'hui  la  plupart  des  jeunes  femmes  dans 
leur  maisons.  Presque  tou jours  de  la  faille 
noire  ou  du  drap  peu  f aconne. 

"Pour  sortir  en  voiture  a  Paris,  l'lmperatrice 
ajoutait  un  manteau  tres-elegant,  un  chapeau 
seyant  et  tres  frais,  et  ceux  qui  la  voyaient  passer 
rapidement  dans  les  beaux  equipages  de  la  cour, 
dans  sa  daumont  menee  a  quatre  chevaux  par 
deux  petits  jockeys,  parfaitement  corrects,  pre- 
ceded d'un  piqueur  a  la  livree  Imperiale,  pou- 
vaient  croire  qu'elle  etait  tres-paree,  tandis  qu'elle 
preferait  comme  toutes  les  femmes  comme-il- 
faut  s'habiller  d'une  facon  pratique  et  commode. 
C'est  ainsi  que  je  l'ai  tou  jours  vue."  * 

i  "Every  day,"  she  writes  (p.  165),  "at  home,  at  the  Tuileries, 
as  in  the  other  royal  residences,  the  Empress  was  simply  dressed, 
with  much  less  display  than  the  young  women  of  the  present  day 
affect  in  their  own  homes.  Nearly  always  black  silk  or  a  plainly 
made  cloth  gown.  To  drive  out  through  the  streets  of  Paris  the 
Empress  added  to  this  a  very  elegant  manUe,  a  becoming  bonnet 

364 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE  ABOUT  1880 


REMINISCENCES 

At  Farnborough,  care  in  the  choosing  and  han- 
dling of  her  own  clothes,  and  not  allowing  us, 
often  to  our  dismay,  to  wear  anything  but  our 
oldest  garments  in  bad  weather  and  other  occa- 
sions, were  characteristic  traits  of  the  Empress. 
She  wore  during  the  day  the  most  simple  black 
woolen  dresses  without  any  trimming,  whatever. 
In  the  evening  for  dinner  she  wore  a  long  plain 
black  silk  gown,  opened  slightly  at  the  neck,  and 
a  jet  brooch  used  merely  as  a  fastening, — not  a 
jewel  or  ornament  of  any  kind,  except  three  plain 
rings  on  the  fourth  finger  of  her  left  hand:  her 
own  wedding  ring,  a  second  gold  one  (probably 
the  Emperor's)  and  a  platinum  guard, — but  oh, 
the  infinite  grace  and  dignity  of  her  bearing  as 
she  walked  into  the  dining-room !  You  could  not 
fail  to  be  impressed  by  her  fascinating  simplicity, 
— and  still  she  was  every  inch  an  Empress. 

As  a  summing  up  of  these  characteristics, 
jotted  down  just  as  they  come  to  my  mind,  or  as 
I  have  found  them  scattered  through  my  diary 

always  of  great  freshness,  and  those  who  saw  her  pass  rapidly 
in  the  beautiful  court  equipage,  in  her  four-horse  daumont,  driven 
by  two  perfectly  correct  little  jockeys  and  preceded  by  a 
piqueur  in  imperial  livery,  might  naturally  have  imagined  her  to 
be  over-dressed,  whereas  in  reality  she  preferred,  as  do  all  comme- 
il-faut  women,  to  be  clothed  in  a  practical  and  comfortable  fash- 
ion.   It  is  thus  that  I  always  saw  her." 

365 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

and  notes  (a  record  of  conversations  and  events 
during  the  ten  months  spent  in  closest  daily 
intimacy  with  the  Empress),  I  think  I  may  say 
that  though  she  often  seemed  to  share  the  many 
little  weaknesses  of  our  common  humanity,  yet 
in  times  of  public  calamity,  or  great  personal 
sorrow,  she  rose  to  the  heights  of  a  great  woman. 
Her  heroic  fearlessness  during  the  cholera  epi- 
demic in  France  (1865)  was  truly  worthy  of 
the  admiration  Europe  unstintingly  accorded  her. 
Romantic,  impulsive,  and  too  proud  to  do  wrong, 
she  nevertheless  laid  herself  innocently  open  to 
misunderstanding,  and  was  her  own  worst  enemy. 
Though  in  prosperity  she  may  sometimes  have 
seemed  rather  thoughtless  and  shallow,  she  un- 
questionably improved  in  this  respect  under  sor- 
row and  anxiety,  and  attached  to  herself  from 
then  on  a  coterie  of  excellent  men  and  women, 
who  by  remaining  enthusiastically  devoted  and 
faithful  to  her  through  all  these  years,  have  testi- 
fied to  her  real  inner  worth.  To  me  and  others, 
as  I  said  at  the  beginning  of  these  pages,  she  was 
an  altogether  puzzling  mixture  of  contradictory 
traits.  Not  a  deep  nature,  but  a  sparkling,  bril- 
liant and  irresistibly  fascinating  woman. 

866 


REMINISCENCES 

Toward  myself  she  was  invariably  thoughtful 
and  kind,  even  tender  at  times,  always  calling 
me  Petite  when  alone  in  the  most  intimate  and 
affectionate  way.  I  should  have  been  unimpres- 
sionable indeed,  even  while  perfectly  aware  of 
her  faults,  had  I  not  fallen  in  love  with  her  many 
charming  traits,  as  I  did  in  point  of  fact,  almost 
immediately  after  my  arrival  at  Farnborough. 

LATER 

Since  1886  I  have  kept  in  constant  touch  with 
the  Empress  and  her  life,  through  frequent  de- 
lightful letters  from  members  of  her  immediate 
household,  her  friends,  and  even  from  herself.  I 
have  enjoyed  being  able  to  pay  my  respects  to 
her,  and  lunch  and  dine  with  her  a  good  many 
times  both  at  Farnborough  and  in  Paris.  The 
last  time  we  met — in  January,  1911 — I  found 
myself  by  a  happy  coincidence  in  rooms  contig- 
uous to  hers  at  the  Continental  Hotel  in  Paris, 
and  I  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  see  her  sans 
ceremonie  again.  When  Madame  d'  Attainville, 
her  niece,  took  me  in  to  the  Empress,  it  was 
toward  dusk.     She  sat  in  her  large  room  by  a 

367 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  EXILE 

blazing  fire,  buried  under  an  immense  fur  rug,  in 
a  high-backed  colonial  chair.  My  first  impres- 
sion was  one  of  disappointment; — I  feared  that 
at  last  "Time"  had  laid  a  heavy  hand  on  her,  she 
looked  so  small  and  aged !  But  when  I  sat  down 
on  a  cushion  by  her  side  and  she  began  to  speak 
of  the  past  years,  her  old  self  reappeared  at  once. 
When  I  dined  with  her  the  following  evening  she 
came  forward  to  greet  me  with  all  her  old  gracious- 
ness.  I  sat  by  her  side,  and  she  chatted  with  me 
with  all  her  former  vivaciousness  and  keen  interest 
in  life.  I  found  her  absolutely  unchanged — as 
interested  as  ever  in  America,  and  my  affairs,  and 
our  common  friends  and  acquaintances.  She  was 
still  the  wonderful  woman  I  had  admired  so 
much!  It  was  a  very  happy  glimpse — for  the 
very  last  one! 


868 


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